What’s behind the Ted Cruz-Marco Rubio immigration fight

Presidential candidates Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio have continued their fight that began on the debate stage this week, slinging insults at each other’s immigration records from the campaign trail. In a new television spot in Iowa, Cruz amplified his new line of attack, the first time Cruz has taken to the airwaves to outline contrasts between him and another candidate during his campaign.

Rubio supporters say his attacks are showing his political prowess while revealing Cruz’s Achille’s heel.

Senator Marco Rubio made a big bet on an immigration overhaul that failed – and he has been running away from it since. “What Cruz wants to do is to slime Rubio as an establishment RINO before Rubio can gain any momentum in New Hampshire”.

For all of the debate over immigration this week, some Republicans – and a majority of all voters – support a pathway to citizenship for immigrants in the country illegally, according to a new AP-GfK poll.

“For the first time in five debates, Senator Rubio publicly admitted not only did he support Obama and Schumer’s amnesty but he still supports amnesty and citizenship today”, Cruz said Thursday – highlighting a Rubio stance that is anathema to the GOP’s conservative base. On Thursday morning, he embarked on a seven-day swing through 12 cities in nine states – a fly-around blitz the campaign is calling the “Take-Off With Ted Cruz Country Christmas Tour”.

In Iowa, meanwhile, Rubio accused Cruz of trying to duck the issue – pointing to his amendment that would have replaced citizenship with legal status for undocumented immigrants.

“I think Ted Cruz needs to be clear about what his stance is today on that, but I can tell you what it’s been in the past”, Rubio said.

“He supports legalizing people that are here illegally”, Rubio said. And as part of the immigration reform debate in 2013, Cruz introduced legislation that proposed eventual legal status for millions.

On Thursday, Rubio said Cruz’s use of the word “intend” was “crafty language” and that Cruz was only giving himself some “wiggle room” in a primary where voters are seeking candidates who are tough on illegal immigration. “Or at least did until the other night, at the debate”. “Those decisions have consequences”.

But he repeated that pledge Thursday in Nevada. That’s compared to 54 percent of all Americans who support a way for immigrants who are already in the country illegally to become citizens, while 44 percent are opposed.

Although Cruz has long opposed an explicit path to citizenship for people in the country illegally, he has supported broadening legal immigration in some cases. Mr. Rubio’s support has increased 6 points since then and Mr. Cruz’s support has increased 7 points. Gone are the pledges to double legal immigration to 1.35 million people a year – up from 675,000 – and to eliminate the country-by-country caps that Cruz said at the time “penalizes the nation of Mexico significantly”.