Well, first of all, the problem with your approach is that you're depending on people allegedly more informed to think for you. These people, none of them, are dealing with the exact words that Cruz has used and has been using. They're just beating on Rubio as a liar, but not actually proving that Rubio is a liar (well, he is) on this particular claim.
The entire narrative about Ted Cruz falls apart when you simply read his own words. It's that simple. You cannot square him declaring "common sense immigration reform" includes "bringing illegals out of the shadows" with the claim by Team Cruz that he didn't support his own legislation, but simply was working to poison everything. You cannot square Team Cruz's claims with Ted Cruz's exact words when they claim they've always supported deportation, when just in July, and August as well, Cruz has been in interviews where he has AVOIDED questions about deportation.
It's just that simple. The problem is that you are stuck in this Tribal way of thinking that your betters can't ever be wrong or lie to you, so you'll believe their lies uncritically, and then hound after those you disagree with as heretics and evildoers, because your flat Earth, Flat Ted Cruz theory is supposedly so self-evident that it's blasphemous to question.
You are completely missing the context of when Sen. Cruz proposed his amendments. He was trying to prove that the gang of eight was determined to get citizenship for illegals and not just “bring them in out of the shadows.” He did this by proposing an amendment which would bring them in out of the shadows but forever prohibit them from getting citizenship.
As expected the gang of eight side rejected the amendment which helped to demonstrate that their whole agenda was to give citizenship to illegals. This in turn became part of the argument used to defeat the gang of eight bill in the House.
According to no one less than Rush Limbaugh, Sen. Cruz was huge part of the reason that the gang of eight bill was defeated. So, you can thank him for stopping amnesty, or, you can believe the lies being told about him by Sen. Rubio who was one of the leaders fighting for the amnesty that Sen. Cruz defeated. Ironic that some of you trump supporters want to spit in the face of one of your greatest champions while buying the lies of one of your greatest enemies.
I’ve heard him speak many times about this amendment and his motives for offering it He used it as a strategy to defeat the bill and it worked.