They both support some good stuff, though Trump does more, and they both are misleading to the anti-illegal base. Trump by talking about deporting everyone until he lets the “really great” ones back in. (Undoubtedly everyone with a job or related to someone with a job who hasn’t committed additional, serious crimes.)
Cruz repeatedly says he’s anti-amnesty, but then more quietly admits he’s for legalization which, even though he claims not to support it, would also lead to citizenship.
So the biggest difference to me comes down to Trump’s far greater powers of persuasion and what I believe is his greater electability—both for the nomination and against a Democrat.
Cruz’s changes to the Gang of 8 bill would create a second class tier of illegals with work permits, but no citizenship.
This is dangerous ground and anti-American. Creating a second class resident would never hold up in our liberal courts....and Cruz knows this.
Cruz knows that a judge would simply say that if we issue a work permit to a resident, illegal or not, they become a citizen after so many month/years of residency.
You have illegals paying taxes via a work permit and not grant them rights.
The fact that they're even getting deported in the first place makes Trump's plan a 100 times better. The second fact that Trump will base reentrance on a merit system-- which we do not have-- is even better. In his immigration plan, Trump raises requirements to insure that these people won't be straight on the dole. If those are the standards, we're looking at 90 percent reduction in the illegal immigration population, with maybe less than even 10 percent being allowed back in.
I don't actually want even the meritorious to reenter, but this in itself is far better than any of the other candidates' plans, who will simply offer legalization in mass. (I do not know what Carson's plan is though.)