Trump ad hits Cruz on immigration

Politico

By Nick Gass

January 22, 2016

Trump ad hits Cruz on immigration 

For much of the new year, Donald Trump has hit Ted Cruz on everything from immigration and his ties to Goldman Sachs to speculating that he might not be eligible for the presidency based on his Canadian birth. In a new ad released on Friday, Trump launched an attack on the Texas senator's record on immigration, painting him as pro-immigration reform and pro-amnesty.

“Ted Cruz is a total hypocrite and, until recently, a Canadian citizen who may not even have a legal right to run for President. He didn’t disclose loans, pretending he’s Robin Hood, when he’s just another all talk, no action politician. Had I not brought up the subject of illegal immigration, an issue which Ted Cruz is very weak on, nobody would even be talking about it. I will build a great wall, and Mexico will pay for it," Trump said in a release touting the advertisement.

The 60-second spot released by the Trump campaign and set to air in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, opens with Cruz's uncomfortable interview with Fox News' Bret Baier on Dec. 16, in which he stammered as he explained his position and tactics during the 2013 Gang of Eight immigration talks. At the time, Cruz had proposed an amendment to the legislation that would have removed citizenship from those who are in the country illegally.

"Bret, of course I wanted the bill to pass — my amendment to pass," Cruz said at the time, in a clip replayed by Trump in the ad as the words "PRO IMMIGRATION REFORM" and "PRO AMNESTY REFORM" flash across the screen.

"WHAT IS HE TALKING ABOUT?" a title blares.

"I want immigration reform to pass and that allows those who are here illegally to come in out of the shadows," Cruz said in May 2013, according to the Fox News clip played during the Baier interview in the ad.

Cruz responded to Baier, who had asked, "Now that amendment would have allowed undocumented immigrants to remain in the U.S. permanently and obtain legal status, so how do you square that circle?" by remarking, "Actually, Bret, it wouldn't have."

"YEAH, RIGHT TED," another title blares, before it cuts to a Trump interview with ABC News aired Jan. 17.

"People want to take back their country," Trump says, as the text "TRUMP WILL END ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION" and "TRUMP WILL SECURE OUR BORDERS" appears at the bottom of the screen. "We want to do it in a humane way, but we have to have a country. We don't have a country right now. We have people pouring in. They're pouring in, and they're doing tremendous damage. If you look at the crime, if you look at the economy, we want to have borders. To have a country, you have to have borders. We don't have borders right now."

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