Senator advised G.W. Bush on overhaul in 2004
Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks during a Faith and Family Presidential Forum at Bob Jones University on Friday in Greenville, S.C.
GREENVILLE, S.C. – Ted Cruz says that when it comes to immigration, he has never supported granting “amnesty” or “legalization” to people in the United States illegally.
He’s half right.
Cruz once advised a White House working group that crafted President George W. Bush’s ultimately unsuccessful 2004 immigration overhaul. That sought to offer temporary work visas to millions of people in the country illegally.
He also was Texas state chairman of a Hispanic organization that advocated for Bush’s proposal.
And, as senator in 2013, Cruz sought to amend Marco Rubio’s sweeping immigration overhaul. He opposed the possibility of citizenship, but not legalization for people here illegally
