Ted Cruz Admits He Flip-Flopped On Expanding Legal Immigration

Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks during a town hall meeting at Furman University on Monday, Dec. 7, 2015, in Greenville, S.C. (AP Photo/Rainier Ehrhardt)
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Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) in an interview with CNN Wednesday admitted his position on H1B immigration visas has changed, but denied that the shift was politically motivated.

“Any rational person responds to a change in circumstances. What’s changed? We’ve seen a whole number of employers abusing the program,” Cruz, a frontrunner in the 2016 race, told CNN. “No. 1, bringing in people who are not high-skilled, bringing in medium- and low-skilled (information technology) workers and then firing American workers and, adding insult to injury, forcing the American workers to train their foreign replacements.”

Cruz’s record on immigration came under scrutiny on the campaign trail after 2016 rival Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) — who has long been considered vulnerable on the issue for his involvement in the the failed immigration overhaul bill — suggested he and Cruz were not so different in their positions. Rubio pointed to Cruz’s past support of increased legal immigration and accused Cruz of previously supporting legal status for undocumented immigrants, a claim Cruz has vehemently denied.

As the tussle between the two heated up, Cruz released an immigration platform that placed new restrictions on legal immigration, including a suspension of the H1B visa program — which Cruz at one time favored expanding.

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