Likely 2016 GOP hopefuls recast immigration views

“The midpoint on the Republican scale has moved to the right on immigration,” said GOP strategist Matt Mackowiak. “I think, at one time, opposing the Rubio bill was outside the mainstream, and now opposing the bipartisan bill is well within the mainstream. It shows how far the debate has moved.”

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Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has also seen the light since his last run for president. 

The former Southern Baptist preacher previously expressed support for a path to citizenship for children who were brought to the country illegally. But in January, he became the first potential presidential candidate to sign a pledge to oppose a path to citizenship for anyone in the country illegally.

At CPAC over the weekend, candidate after candidate took the stage to hammer home their conservative bona fides on immigration.

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who was criticized as soft on immigration during his failed 2012 run, thundered about his strong record on border security and called illegal immigration a “clear and present danger to the health and safety of all Americans.”

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