Ted Cruz's stance on illegal immigration and amnesty:
Bar refugees from terrorist-ridden regions
Border security is national security. Cruz introduced two bills to protect Americans from an influx of refugees who could be a national security risk, including legislation barring refugees from terrorist-ridden regions and legislation to recognize governors' authority to protect the citizens in their states by rejecting to resettle refugees in their state.
Source: 2016 presidential campaign website TedCruz.org , Mar 15, 2016
Children deported with parents can come back, if citizens
Q: Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals--DACA--is a program that has protected young people, brought to the U.S. by undocumented immigrants.
CRUZ: Existing law provides that those who are deported cannot come back here legally. U.S. citizens can come back. That's existing law.
Source: 2016 CNN-Telemundo Republican debate on eve of Texas primary , Feb 25, 2016
I led the fight to defeat the Reid-Schumer amnesty bill
CRUZ: When Harry Reid and Chuck Schumer were leading the fight to pass a massive amnesty plan, I led the fight to defeat that plan. The question for anyone on illegal immigration is where were you in that fight?
CRUZ: I have promised to rescind every single illegal executive action, including that one.
Source: 2016 CBS Republican primary debate in South Carolina , Feb 13, 2016
FactCheck: Yes, Bill Clinton deported 12M illegal aliens
Ted Cruz, debating the possibility of deporting an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants, asked, "Do you know how many aliens Bill Clinton deported? 12 million. Do you know how many illegal aliens, George W. Bush deported? 10 million."
Is that true? We checked, and found that both of Cruz's figures are accurate. Looking at the Department of Homeland Security's "Yearbook of Immigration Statistics: 2013 Enforcement Actions", the figures in Table 39 are:
Administration
Deportations
8,300,000 Reagan (1981-1988)
4,100,000 Bush Sr. (1989-1992)
4,100,000 Clinton (1993-2000)
10,300,000 Bush Jr. (2001-2008)
3,200,000 Obama first term (2009-2012; on track for 6 million total)
Those figures include both "removals and returns." Cruz's point is that 11 million deportations have been accomplished before.
Source: OnTheIssues FactCheck on 2015 CNN/Salem Republican debate , Dec 15, 2015
Build a wall instead of massive amnesty plan
CRUZ: There was a time for choosing, as Reagan put it. There was a battle over amnesty and some chose, like Senator Rubio, to stand with Barack Obama and Chuck Schumer and support a massive amnesty plan. Others chose to stand with the American people and secure the border. And I tell you, if I'm elected president, we will secure the border. We will triple the border patrol. We will build a wall that works and I'll get Donald Trump to pay for it.
Source: 2015 CNN/Salem Republican two-tier debate , Dec 15, 2015
CRUZ : I have never supported legalization, and I do not intend to support legalization. Let me tell you how you do this, what you do is you enforce the law. I've laid out a very, very detailed immigration plan on my website. It's 11 pages of existing federal law and in particular the question of what to do with people who are here now? You enforce the law. We can enforce the laws and if we secure the border, that solves the problem.
Source: 2015 CNN/Salem Republican two-tier debate , Dec 15, 2015
Illegals are an economic calamity for low-wage Americans
For those who believe people 'ought to come to this country legally, we're tired of being told it's anti-immigrant. I am the son of an immigrant who came legally from Cuba. We can embrace legal immigration while believing in the rule of law. Try going illegally to another country. Try going to China, or Japan. Try going to Mexico. See what they do. Every sovereign nation secures its borders, and it is not compassionate to say we're not going to enforce the laws.
Source: Fox Business/WSJ Second Tier debate , Nov 10, 2015
Support Kate's Law: oppose our leaders who won't enforce
Q: About the murder of Kate Steinle, allegedly shot down by an illegal immigrant--will you support Kate Steinle's Law, which would impose a mandatory five-year prison term for an illegal who is deported and then returns to this country?
CRUZ: Absolutely yes. And not only will I support it I have authored Kate's law in the United States Senate and filed that legislation. I tried to get the Senate to vote to pass Kate's law on the floor of the Senate just one week ago, and the leader of our own party blocked a vote on Kate's law. You know, there was reference made [by Donald Trump] about our leaders being stupid. It's not a question of stupidity. It's that they don't want to enforce the immigration laws. That there are far too many in the Washington cartel that support amnesty. There's 7 billion people across the face of the globe, many of whom want to come to this country. If they come legally, great. But if they come illegally & get amnesty, that would fundamentally change this country.
Source: Fox News/Facebook Top Ten First Tier debate transcript , Aug 6, 2015
Path to citizenship is profoundly unfair to legal immigrants
The Texas senator is pretty unequivocal: "I think a path to citizenship for those who are here illegally is profoundly unfair to the millions of legal immigrants who followed the rules," Cruz told ABC in 2013.
Cruz has repeatedly referred to President Obama's executive order as "lawless amnesty," and in 2013, he filed an amendment that would deny a pathway to citizenship to undocumented immigrants. However, Cruz has shown some vague support for a "path to legal status," according to The New York Times. He has also proposed doubling the number of green cards given out each year.
Cruz has opposed the DREAM Act, which would "provide illegal immigrants who were brought to the United States as children a path to permanent residency if they attend college or serve in the military." In 2014, he unsuccessfully tried to reverse Obama's executive order to halt the deportation of young, undocumented immigrants.
Source: National Journal 2016 series: Republicans on immigration , Feb 23, 2015
End Obama's illegal amnesty via Congress' checks & balances
Q: How to respond to the split within your party on immigration? What you're saying is that the Republicans should vote to fund the governments for all departments except one: no funding for the Department of Homeland Security, which handles immigration, rescinding President Obama's executive action, and if he vetoes that, he's responsible for shutting down the department. The problem is that's almost exactly what you did with the government shutdown across the entire government in 2013 with ObamaCare, and it backfired badly on your party.
CRUZ: All across this country, Republicans campaigned, saying: if you elect a Republican Senate, we will stop President Obama's illegal amnesty. We need to honor what we said. We should use the constitutional checks and balances that we have to rein in the abuse of power of the executive. Step #1 is if the president implements this lawless amnesty, that the Senate will not confirm any executive or judicial nominees.
Source: Fox News Sunday 2014 interview of 2016 presidential hopefuls , Nov 23, 2014
Defund amnesty; and refuse any nominees until rescinded
Q: How would you rescind President Obama's executive action on immigration?
CRUZ: We should use the constitutional checks and balances that we have to rein in the abuse of power of the executive. Step #1 that I have called for is the incoming majority leader should announce if the president implements this lawless amnesty, that the Senate will not confirm any executive or judicial nominees, other than vital national security positions, for the next two years, unless and until the president ends this lawless amnesty. That is an explicit authority given to the Senate.
Q: Are you saying the Senate should refuse to confirm the president's new nominee for attorney general?
CRUZ: We have to rein in the executive. In the Federalist Papers, our Framers talked about a president who would behave like a monarch. And step #2, we've got is the power of the purse, and we should fund one at a time the critical priorities of the federal government, but also use the power of the purse to attach riders.
Source: Fox News Sunday 2014 interview of 2016 presidential hopefuls , Nov 23, 2014
No path to citizenship for 1.65 million illegals in Texas
When discussing what to do about the 1.65 million illegal immigrants living in Texas, Cruz weaved into the Second Amendment, alleging his opponent didn't support gun rights. "What does this have to do with the question?" Sadler asked before fiercely denying his opponent's allegation. Cruz again said he didn't support a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants living in America, while Sadler said the opposite, as expected.
Source: WFAA-TV Dallas-Fort Worth on 2012 Texas Senate debate , Oct 2, 2012
Give police more power to ask about immigration status
Cruz accused Dewhurst of using his position as head of the Texas Senate to kill a bill last year that would have given police more power to ask anyone they detain about their citizenship status--a charge Dewhurst denied.
Both agreed that the US has failed to secure its border with Mexico, and said they oppose amnesty for illegal immigrants and the Obama administration's new directive allowing many young illegal immigrants brought to the US as children to be exempted from deportation.
Source: San Francisco Chronicle on 2012 Texas Senate debates , Jun 22, 2012
Boots on the ground, plus a wall
Border wall: James and Leppert oppose a wall, Dewhurst and Cruz tout "boots on the ground" and a wall in some places.
Source: BurntOrangeReport.com on 2012 Texas Senate Debate , Apr 18, 2012
Triple the size of the Border Patrol
Cruz on immigration: Wants to triple size of Border Patrol. Says Dewhurst supported in-state tuition for kids of illegal immigrants.
Dewhurst: I have always been against an amnesty program. "If they want to be a citizen, they ought to go home and reapply."
Dewhurst says he was against tuition for children of illegal immigrants.
Source: KVUE coverage of 2012 Texas Senate debate , Mar 29, 2012
Strengthen border security and increase enforcement
Ted Cruz has worked to strengthen border security and help ensure that America remains a nation of laws. Among other efforts, he has worked on efforts to increase penalties for felons who enter the country illegally.
Ted authored a U.S. Supreme Court amicus brief on behalf of 10 states in Lopez v. Gonzales, urging the strictest enforcement of laws punishing those with prior felony convictions who entered the country illegally.
Source: Campaign website,
www.tedcruz.org, "Issues" , Jul 17, 2011
http://www.ontheissues.org/International/Ted_Cruz_Immigration.htm
