Cruz closes door on legal status for immigrants

Islamic militants or those inspired by them are believed to have been behind the killings of scores of people in Paris; San Bernardino, California; and Mali, raising the prominence of national security expertise in a race that had made stars of outsider candidates.

And look for a new top challenger to vie for attention.

In the weekend before the Vegas showdown, Trump sent foreboding signals at Cruz that he would hit him — hard — after audio leaked that the Texas senator had questioned the billionaire businessman’s judgment at a private fundraiser.

Another likely change: volume.

Neurosurgeon Ben Carson, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, and Kentucky Sen.

For everyone else, the debate is a chance to stay in the conversation.

President Barack Obama says at a swearing-in ceremony for 31 new US citizens that immigration is the nation’s oldest tradition and part of what makes the country exceptional.

“Marco has continued these attacks”. He can expect to be called upon to defend his plan for Muslims, if nothing else.

Heading into Tuesday night’s debate, Cruz was barreling toward one confrontation he invited — with Rubio — and one he didn’t — with Trump.

And the attacks show no signs of stopping: During the debate, the pro-Rubio super PAC, Conservative Solutions PAC, launched a new website and digital campaign calling him “dangerously weak” and “dead wrong” on national security, a message it reiterated in a note to donors on Wednesday morning. He said as far as he knows the subject matter has not been briefed to lawmakers outside the committee. “And ultimately the decision is, who has the right judgment – experience and judgment – to serve as commander in chief?”

Cruz took the stage following a jump in the polls. Front-runner Donald Trump stood firmly behind his provocative call for banning Muslims from the United States, saying, “We are not talking about religion, we are talking about security”.

Watch for Florida Sen.

He pointed out that Cruz has absolutely no problem not only criticizing Marco Rubio, but really going for the jugular, as he did at the debate last night. After that, Rubio said, Americans would be open to discussing what to do with the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country. Both Rubio and Cruz have done about-faces on previous immigration stances. Rubio asked his Senate colleague in a spirited back-and-forth full of crosstalk.

In the spin room after the debate, Sweet said the American people aren’t fully aware that Rubio and the Gang of Eight supported amnesty, and that the campaign felt good about how the exchange played out. “Today, the Republican Presidential hopefuls, kissed good-bye to any support from the immigrant and Latino communities, a division that will probably last for decades…It is now up to us to educate, motivate, and mobilize the Latino community to march to the ballots next November and hold accountable candidates and elected officials for their word and actions against immigrants”.