“Let’s demonstrate we can stop illegal immigration, we can protect our national security interests, we can protect our law enforcement interests,” Cruz said after a campaign stop in Newton, Iowa. “Then once that’s done, we can have a conversation at that point about whatever people remain here illegally.”

Cruz has insisted the border must be secured before addressing proposals of how to deal with the millions of undocumented immigrants still living in the United States.

One week ago in Harlan, Iowa, when asked about the proposition of legal status being on the table, Cruz said, “We can have that conversation with the American people once we’ve secured the border.”

Cruz adamantly rejects what he calls “amnesty” pushed by Rubio as part of the bill passed by the Senate in 2013 that would have opened up a pathway to citizenship for some undocumented immigrants in the country.