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ORLANDO -- Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, proposed new limits on legal immigration Friday -- a reversal of his previous stance -- and a crackdown on undocumented immigrants, aiming to draw a contrast between himself and his rival for the presidential nomination, Sen. Marco Rubio, on the Florida Republican's home turf.
Cruz's plan calls for curbs on legal immigration by halting any increases in the number of people coming to the United States legally until the economy improves and temporarily stopping the issuance of visas for high-tech workers because of reported abuses in the program.
The policy proposals are a shift for Cruz, who in 2013 supported doubling the caps on green cards and increasing the number of the visas for high tech workers fivefold.
"It's legal good, illegal bad," Cruz, speaking at a megachurch here, said about the immigration system. "Why is that so complicated for anyone in Washington to understand?"
Cruz is also calling for an increase in deportations, tripling the number of Border Patrol agents, building a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border and increasing surveillance there.
Cruz did not say how much the economy must improve before he would allow increased immigration. His plan had a noticeable absence: what he would do with the 11 million people in the country illegally.
He reiterated that he is still a firm believer in legal immigration -- Cruz's father came from Cuba.
"I am a supporter of legal immigration, following the rules, coming to America seeking the American dream," he said.
Cruz made rare use of what he calls his "lousy" Spanish, telling the crowd, "muchimas gracias. He did not mention Rubio by name, but he didn't have to -- the audience did after Cruz took a dig at his opponent.
The Texas Republican slammed Rubio earlier this week for his support of an immigration reform bill that would have provided a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. It was put forward by the bipartisan "Gang of Eight" coalition in 2013. Cruz mentioned the "Gang of Eight" and names of Democrats who were in the group, and the crowd booed.
"Rubio!" people shouted. "Say it!" a woman yelled.
"And maybe a Republican or two," Cruz said, smiling.
He also said that unnamed presidential candidates said different things about immigration in front of different audiences.
"Sometimes they say it one way on English stations and another way on Spanish stations," Cruz said.
Rubio responded to Cruz's remarks Friday, saying, "I'm surprised by his criticism given the fact that his record on immigration quite frankly is not substantially different than mine."
The fight between Cruz and Rubio exploded Thursday, when Cruz, who had only obliquely criticized his Senate opponent by highlighting differences in policy positions, slammed him for support of the bill. Rubio hit back, saying that he and Cruz share similar views on immigration. Cruz said Friday morning he "laughed out loud" about that comment.
Rubio spoke Friday at the "Sunshine Summit," a first-of-its-kind conference for state Republicans held here at a resort conference center.
Attending a kickoff dinner on Thursday night, Rubio warned that "a bunch of candidates" would be asking for votes.
"One out of six Republicans is running for president," he joked.
Despite his surge in popularity in early primary states and among Republicans nationally, Rubio -- and his fellow Floridian, former governor Jeb Bush -- have slipped behind out-of-state candidates.
A poll released last week showed businessman Donald Trump with 37 percent of support among GOP voters; former neurosurgeon Ben Carson had 17 percent. Rubio placed third, with 16 percent, followed by Cruz at 10 percent. Bush earned just 7 percent in the poll conducted by SurveyUSA and Tampa-area television stations.
Previously:
• 11/13/15 Cruz takes the gloves off, attacking Rubio on immigration
• 11/06/15 PLO criticizes Ted Cruz over 'biased and inflammatory' Senate hearing
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