Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) doesn’t sound like he’s getting on board with immigration reform anytime soon, complaining that a path to citizenship is a dealbreaker and that President Obama is deliberately trying to bait the House into voting down a bill.
“His behavior concerning immigration leads me to believe that what he wants is a political issue rather than actually to pass a bill,” Cruz told the Dallas Morning News. “What he wants is for the bill to crater, so that he can use the issue as a political wedge in 2014 and 2016. That is why I believe the president is insisting on a path to citizenship for those who are here illegally. Because by insisting on that, he ensures that any immigration reform bill will be voted down in the House.”
Cruz’s fellow Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Rand Paul (R-KY), who — like Cruz — are both popular with tea party conservatives, have come out this year in support of legislation that would eventually allow undocumented immigrants to become citizens.
