Dan Holler, a spokesman for Heritage Action, which opposes the Senate bill, said Rubio’s recent comments were “encouraging.”

“What Senator Rubio outlined over the course of this week really aligns with where conservatives tried to take the debate,” he said.

His past support for the Senate bill, which included a path to citizenship for those in the country illegally, still sours him to some.

“Certainly we’re pleased with…any pro-amnesty person who says ‘no amnesty,’ and so we welcome him as an ally on that,” said Roy Beck, executive director of Numbers USA, a group that seeks to reduce immigration.

Still, Beck added that “it’s hard not to feel pretty irritated with him for being the guy that really caused the Senate to pass that bill. I mean he was the main guy.”