Sen. Jeff Sessions: ‘Big Mistake’ for Marco Rubio to Continue Supporting Citizenship for Illegal Aliens

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Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) championed the opposition to the ‘Gang of Eight’ immigration bill, and Gov. Jeb Bush’s support for legalization of illegal immigrants is slightly more tenable than Sen. Marco Rubio’s (R-FL) support for citizenship, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) said Jan. 29.

Bush’s immigration-policy “book does not favor citizenship” for illegals who are allowed to legally stay in the United States, Sessions said Friday on the Howie Carr Show, when he was asked about Bush and Rubio’s immigration exchange during the Jan. 28 Fox News GOP debate in Iowa.

But, he added, “Marco’s… ‘Gang of Eight’ bill favors citizenship — [and] it sounds like he still does — I think that’s a big mistake.” 

The Alabama lawmaker also offered his take on accusations that Sen. Ted Cruz flip-flopped on the Gang of Eight bill. The bill was passed through the Senate in 2014, but was stopped by the GOP majority in the House in 2014.

“I thought [Cruz] did not want it to pass and as the debate went forward and he became more and more a champion against it,” Sessions said. “I said — when he came to Alabama recently — I’m not sure this bill would not have passed had he not opposed it.”

Sessions recalled how the Gang of Eight bill passed in the Senate in 2013, but Cruz was “really active” in also opposing it when it was sent to the House for consideration. “So I know he played a key role,” Sessions said. “It was close over there [in the House] and he was able to stop it.”

“I know he opposed that bill with integrity,” he added.

“I don’t think we should give every benefit to someone who enters this country unlawfully that you would give to somebody who entered the country lawfully. I mean, there is no obligation for this,” Sessions said.

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