6 Reasons Why Ted Cruz Won't Lead On Immigration Reform

Ted Cruz made history when he became the first Latino to win a U.S. Senate seat from Texas -- and as a conservative to boot.

"I'm something that's not supposed to exist," Cruz told Politico this month. "A Hispanic Republican."

That historic victory led many to assume that Cruz would play a leading role in the immigration debate and give the GOP another rising Latino star -- simply because he is Hispanic. Columnist Ruben Navarrette is one of the latest to point to the Cuban-American senator as a possible leading voice in the newly rekindled immigration debate.

But a look at Cruz’s record makes it clear that he’s no advocate of immigration reform.

His father's Cuban immigrant roots notwithstanding, Cruz is a vocal opponent of reform, particularly any law that would allow undocumented immigrants to reside legally in the country. His first reaction after a bipartisan group of senators put forth its first outline for legislation on Monday was to express "deep concerns with the proposed path to citizenship."

His views contrast sharply with the dominant attitudes of the Latino community. A Fox News Latino poll published last year found that a whopping 90 percent of likely Latino voters support the DREAM Act, and 85 percent favor a path to citizenship for the undocumented.

Cruz rejects those positions out of hand. Instead, he favors beefing up border security, tripling the size of the Border Patrol and expanding the border wall.

Get to know Ted Cruz's take on immigration reform in the slideshow above.