Posted on 02/23/2016 11:14:59 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
The Gang of Eight comprehensive immigration reform bill passed the Senate after a series of votes in June 2013. Democrats, who controlled the Senate at the time, unanimously supported the bill, while most Republicans opposed it. The four Republicans on the gang - Marco Rubio, John McCain, Lindsey Graham, and Jeff Flake - of course voted for it, and also agreed with Democrats on a plan to kill almost all GOP amendments.
Then-Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid allowed just a handful of amendments to reach the Senate floor. One, from Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, would have prohibited the legalization of illegal immigrants in the United States until after the administration could prove it had maintained "effective control" of the borders for six months.
Rubio voted against the Grassley amendment. Sen. Ted Cruz voted for it.
Another Republican amendment, from Sen. John Thune, would have required the completion of 350 miles of fencing along the U.S. border that Congress had ordered in 1996 but had never been completed. Thune specified that the fencing had to be in place before legalization could commence. Thune also would have required the completion of 700 miles of such fencing before illegal immigrants' legal status could be made permanent.
Rubio voted against the Thune amendment. Cruz voted for it.
The other substantive GOP amendment allowed by Reid was from Sen. David Vitter. It would have delayed the granting of legal status until a biometric visa identity system first ordered by Congress in 1996 had been "fully implemented at every land, sea, and airport of entry" into the United States.
Rubio voted against the Vitter amendment. Cruz voted for it.
Earlier, Republicans offered dozens of amendments to the Gang of Eight bill when it was making its way through the Senate Judiciary Committee. Under a pre-arranged plan, the gang, including Rubio, agreed to kill any amendments they felt would threaten their legislation.
"The eight met in private before each committee hearing, hashing out which amendments they would support and which oppose as a united coalition," the Washington Post reported in May 2013. "Senate aides said amendments were rejected if either side felt they would shatter the deal."
For example, the Post reported, "GOP members of the group opposed several tough border-control amendments from Sen. Ted Cruz."
The public discovered the secret Rubio-Democratic agreement when the Judiciary Committee was considering an amendment that involved giving government payments to former illegal immigrants through the Earned Income Tax Credit program. Sen. Chuck Schumer, the leading Democrat on the Gang of Eight, was caught on an open microphone turning to an aide and saying, "Do our Republicans have a pass on this one, if they want?" It turned out they did, meaning Schumer would allow gang Republicans to vote against the measure.
Rubio was not on the Judiciary Committee, so he did not vote on the committee amendments. But he was part of the gang agreement to kill GOP amendments, several of which were from Cruz, who was on the committee.
The Gang of Eight bill came up for a final Senate vote on June 27, 2013. Rubio, as a key author of the legislation, voted for its passage. Cruz voted against it.
It's worth going through history because Rubio, now locked in a presidential primary race against Cruz, has argued that his position on immigration is similar to Cruz's.
"The bottom line is there isn't that big a difference between [Cruz] and I on how to approach immigration," Rubio told CBS News on Sunday.
Certainly in 2013, Rubio and Cruz could hardly have been more different in how they approached immigration. Rubio has since distanced himself from the gang bill, his signature achievement in his nearly five years in the Senate, saying that immigration reform cannot be accomplished by one giant bill and instead should be enacted piecemeal. Rubio also says - reminiscent of the Grassley amendment he helped kill - that security and enforcement must be in place before illegal immigrants can be legalized and placed on a path to citizenship.
It remains unclear where Rubio stands on the thousands of other provisions in his 1,197-page Gang of Eight bill. In five Republican presidential debates, he has been asked exactly one question about the substance of the bill. (The question was whether Rubio still supports a path to citizenship; he does, while Cruz doesn't.)
There's a chance Rubio will be asked more questions about the specifics of the gang bill in the weeks before Republicans begin voting in primaries and caucuses. It's not clear what he will say, although after the recent Las Vegas debate, a spokesman offered a preview of Rubio's answer.
"The provisions in the 2013 bill were the product of compromise and not what we would have done if we'd written the bill on our own," Rubio aide Alex Conant said. If a President Rubio undertook immigration reform, Conant added, the results "would not be the same as what the Senate passed in 2013."
That reasoning gives Rubio a rationale to abandon any part of the Gang of Eight that he chooses. But what happened in 2013 still matters. For one thing, it's not that long ago. And for another, Rubio himself believes the past is important. "If you're going to attack someone on a policy issue," Rubio said on CBS Sunday, "you need to be clear about where you stand on the issue and where you've stood in the past."
What disqualify Rubio was what he said in Spanish. He’s a snake
I was responding to the caller on Rush at that time, I wasn’t clear about that, sorry.
Rubio is as bad as Yeb!
I know. I was too.
: )
Don’t forget Mark Twains advice concerning “arguing with a fool”.
Lol. As a former NH resident, I’m OK with that. We have a pretty bawdy sense of humor. That’s part of his appeal there!
https://www.tedcruz.org/issues/secure-the-border/
https://www.tedcruz.org/cruz-immigration-plan-summary/
https://www.tedcruz.org/cruz-immigration-plan/
OK! LOL!!!
Seem to remember doi.............
NO will not go there!!!
From post#1
“Cruz’s amendment - which called for stripping out a pathway to citizenship, but keeping a path for legalization - would have done precisely that.”
At least you folks are finally admitting Cruz was for LEGALIZATION of illegal aliens.
What did the Candidates say about immigration in their announcement speeches?
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3396178/posts
It is very instructive to go back and look at what candidates Cruz, Rubio & Trump thought was important and mentioned in their announcement speeches. This was the time to present what issues THEY thought important to them and and the American people.
Trump outlined so many issues while Rubio and Cruz just talked about Cuba and themselves.
Here is their (Trump, Cruz, Rubio) total remarks on IMMIGRATION...later we will do trade, terrorism, 2nd amendment, Obamacare and education.
Trump June 16 , 2015
When do we beat Mexico at the border? They’re laughing at us, at our stupidity. And now they are beating us economically. They are not our friend, believe me. But they’re killing us economically. The U.S. has become a dumping ground for everybody else’s problems. (APPLAUSE)
Thank you. It’s true, and these are the best and the finest. When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. They’re not sending you. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people. But I speak to border guards and they tell us what we’re getting. And it only makes common sense. It only makes common sense. They’re sending us not the right people. It’s coming from more than Mexico. It’s coming from all over South and Latin America, and it’s coming probably — probably — from the Middle East. But we don’t know. Because we have no protection and we have no competence, we don’t know what’s happening. And it’s got to stop and it’s got to stop fast. (APPLAUSE)
I will immediately terminate President Obama’s illegal executive order on immigration, immediately. (APPLAUSE) I would build a great wall, and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me, and I’ll build them very inexpensively, I will build a great, great wall on our southern border. And I will have Mexico pay for that wall. He’s weak on immigration. He’s in favor of Common Core. How the hell can you vote for this guy? You just can’t do it. We have to end — education has to be local.
When do we beat Mexico at the border? They’re laughing at us, at our stupidity. And now they are beating us economically. They are not our friend, believe me. But they’re killing us economically.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/transcript-donald-trump-announces-his-presidential-candidacy/
Cruz Mar. 23, 2015
Instead of the lawlessness and the president’s unconstitutional executive amnesty, imagine a president that finally, finally, finally secures the borders. (APPLAUSE) And imagine a legal immigration system that welcomes and celebrates those who come to achieve the American dream.
(Cruz’s speech was all about him and your imagination!)
Marco Rubio April 13, 2015 “modernize our immigration laws”
Yep...THAT is it....except for this..
En este pais, ustedes van a poder lograr todas las cosas que nosotros no pudimos. (translated: “In this country, you will achieve all the things we never could.”)
http://time.com/3820475/transcript-read-full-text-of-sen-marco-rubios-campaign-launch/
Strange that most supported Cruz wholeheartedly at the time he was fighting Obama & The Gang of Eight.
Aunt B that was a lot of work for nothing.
Your cut and past, cherry picking doesn’t change the facts of the votes and their positions.
I know.
It’s really something, isn’t it?
Thanks for the info - GREAT POST!
Let’s see if Megyn brings this up at the debate Thursday or if she is muzzled to protect the lying Rino Rubio the Fox channels chosen pretty boy.
If they expose him as the liar he is he is done,so I doubt she will mention this
Legalization was already in the bill. The Cruz Amendment would make the bill LESS friendly to illegal immigrants.
Ask Jeff Sessions. Ask Mike Lee. They were there and they’ll tell you that Ted Cruz was leading the fight against amnesty.
Trump, meanwhile, has said pro-amnesty things.
Who is the candidate who is tough on illegal immigration and amnesty?
Here is Senator Cruz’s position as of June 2013:
“This Gang of Eight bill is a disaster. It is the exact same thing we saw in 1986. The last big immigration reform was in 1986, and the federal government told the American people, we’re gonna grant amnesty for the three million people who are here illegally. And in exchange for that we’re actually gonna secure the borders. We’re gonna solve illegal immigration, and the problem is gonna go away.
“Now, we saw what happened. The amnesty happened, the borders never got secured, and now three decades later, instead of three million people, it’s 11 million people.
“11 million, 12 million. We don’t have an exact number, but it is three to four times bigger than what it was in 1986, and we’re hearing the exact same empty promises. What the Gang of Eight bill does is it grants legalization now. It takes everyone who’s here illegally and says, “You’re legal,” and then just like in 1986 it promises, “sometime in the future, trust us, wink-wink, we’ll secure the border.” I don’t think the American people are that foolish. You know, fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. If this bill is enacted, it will make the problem worse. If this bill is enacted, in another decade or two we’re gonna be back here not with 11 million, but with 20 million or 30 million people here illegally. This is a broken system. I think what Americans want is fix the problem, stop playing political games, actually secure the border and make a legal immigration system that works.
“Well, the Democrats want this for pure politics. Chuck Schumer was very candid in the Senate Judiciary Committee when he said, “If there is no citizenship, there can be no reform.” This is all about their endeavor. They want to grant amnesty, and they hope to get a lot more Democratic voters, or they want this to be voted down and use it as a political issue in 2014 and 2016.
“On the Republican side, sadly, a lot of the support of it is political as well. You know, after 2012, all of the Washington political consultants and all the mainstream media came to Republicans and said, “You’ve got to do better with Hispanics, and the way to do better with Hispanics is to embrace amnesty.” And, look, a lot of Republicans in Washington were scared. I gotta tell you, I think that political argument is complete nonsense. If you look at the last time we enacted amnesty in 1986, the next election was 1988, the Republican share of the Hispanic vote went down. It is not the case — Hispanics are not the single-issue, monolithic voters.”
I see nothing there that is incompatible with what he is saying now. And furthermore, Cruz (with a couple of others) led the fight against the bill — and put up a petition against it.
Meanwhile, here is Donald Trump’s position as of A FEW MONTHS AGO (2015):
“Now, a lot of these people are helping us, whether it’s the grapes, or whether it’s jobs, and sometimes it’s jobs, in all fairness, I love our country, but sometimes it’s jobs that a citizen of the United States doesn’t want to do. I mean, there are jobs that a lot of people don’t want to do. I want to move them out, and we’re going to move them back in.
“I mean, a lot of people don’t understand that, but the DREAMers, it’s a tough situation, we’re going to do something, and one of the things we’re going to do is expedite — when somebody’s terrific, we want them back here.
“I have to tell you: Some of these people have been here, they’ve done a good job. You know, in some cases, sadly, they’ve been living under the shadows. ... If somebody’s been outstanding, we try and work something out.â€
[The article continues] This is in line with what CNN’s Chris Moody reported Trump saying during a press conference in Chicago at the end of June. When asked what he would do about the illegal immigrants already residing in the country once the border was secured, Trump replied, “give them a path,” according to Moody.
https://soundcloud.com/glennbeck/beck-blitz-donald-trumppro-amnesty
(As of July 14)
http://liberteanow.us/2015/07/14/2601/
Trump: You have to give them a path. You have 20 million, 30 million, nobody knows what it is. It used to be 11 million. Now, today I hear it’s 11, but I don’t think it’s 11. I actually heard you probably have 30 million. You have to give them a path, and you have to make it possible for them to succeed. You have to do that.
(As of August 10 — remember all these dates on the Trump quotes are 2015!)
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/422351/donald-trump-immigration-amnesty-build-wall
“Asked about his immigration ideas on CNN, Trump was a mess, beginning with the old “jobs Americans won’t do” canard favored by open-borders proponents (a canard because it always leaves out the relevant qualifier: “at current wages”), then suggesting that we should deport the millions of illegals who are already here only to turn around and bring them back (”I want to move them out, and we’re going to move them back in, and let them be legal.” This process would include those brought here as young children, who will be deported and recycled based on the criterion of whether they are — Trump’s word — “terrific.” What might constitute a federal terrificness standard remains unclear.
“We’re going to do something,†Trump said. “I’ve been giving it so much thought. You know you have a, on a humanitarian basis, you have a lot of deep thought going into this, believe me. I actually have a big heart.”
[The article continues] Deporting some 11 million illegals who have for many years evaded deportation only to reimport them under an expedited legal immigration system, the contours of which currently are undefined, and then granting them some sort of permanent legal status is simply another variation on amnesty, and a complicated, expensive, and thick-headed version of amnesty at that. Like the proposed reform program of 2007, which would have purportedly required illegals to be present in their country of origin when applying for legal status, this isn’t just amnesty — it’s also amnesty-laundering.
These are pro-amnesty positions Trump took JUST A FEW MONTHS AGO (2015)! By contrast, Ted Cruz fought the amnesty bill in the U.S. Senate two years ago. So who is tough on amnesty?
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