“The path the White House is going down, I believe, is designed for this bill to fail,” Cruz says. “It is designed for it to sail through the Senate and then crash in the House to let the president go and campaign in 2014 on this issue,” said Cruz in an interview with The Fine Print.

Cruz also said while he’s not sure what it means, he’s proud to be called a “wacko bird” — as he was called by Arizona Republican Senator John McCain.  “If standing for liberty, if standing for free market principle and the Constitution makes you a wacko bird, then, then I am a very proud wacko bird,” Cruz said.

Today a Senate aide familiar with the immigration negotiations had one word about Cruz.  ”Ignore,” said the aide.  The Senate is currently starting its debate on the Senate floor on the immigration bill, with hopes that it can clear the 60-vote hurdle.  Yesterday New Hampshire Republican Senator Kelly Ayotte announced her support the immigration reform bill.

In the more conservative, Republican-led House,  a bipartisan group, including Florida Republican Mario Diaz-Balart, is working to craft immigration reform legislation which would include an earned path to citizenship, even though the path might take 15 years.  In the upcoming weeks, the question is whether legislators will be swayed by Republicans like McCain or Diaz-Balart and support a path to citizenship, 0r side with Republicans like Cruz blocking the provision.

“There are no guarantees in the Senate; a senator can leverage influence and stop a bill, case in point the gun bill,” says Arizona State University political scientist Rodolfo Espino, “On immigration, Democrats are pretty united in what they want, but the nature of the bill will be largely determined by factions within the Republican party and whether they resolve or not resolve their differences,” Espino adds.

This morning it was key Republicans like South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham who made the case that it was time to legalize 11 million undocumented citizens “on our terms not theirs.” Graham was trying to convince fellow Republican colleagues that the current bill “will do more to control illegal employment than any idea I’ve seen.” The South Carolina Senator is one of four Republicans, along with Florida Senator Marco Rubio,  Colorado Senator Michael Bennet, and Arizona Senator John McCain, who have taken on a key leadership role in drafting the immigration reform bill as part of the Gang of Eight.

RELATED: RNC sets sighs on Latinos: polls show immigration reform key ingredient

One of the linchpins of the bill is a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. While Senator Rubio has shed his previous opposition to this and has already been criticized by some of his conservative base for his position, fellow Republican Senator Ted Cruz tacked completely the other way.

Today, the Tea Party Texan introduced an amendment “to remove the pathway to citizenship for those who are here illegally.” Cruz argued that keeping this provision would “scuttle the bill” and cause it to fail to pass in the House.

Cruz’ remarks were swiftly condemned.  ”I guess Senator Cruz feels that someone must boldly stand against the tide of history, point backwards, and say ‘follow me,’ said Democratic Congressman Luis Gutierrez, chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) Immigration Task Force.  Texas Democratic Congressman and CHC Chair Congressman Ruben Hinojosa said it was “disturbing that Sen. Ted Cruz refuses to move past abstract, extremist rhetoric and see immigration reform in real terms.”

The next few weeks will reveal how Republicans work out their support — or opposition- – to the bill in the Senate.  Moving forward to what happens in the more conservative House, “one of the key issues is who will send a stronger signal to the Tea Party faction, Senator Rubio or Senator Cruz,” says Arizona State’s Espino.  While Cruz does have a lot of power with the Tea Party base, Espino explains, there are Tea Party conservatives like Rubio and Senator Rand Paul who have come out in support of reform.

Nathan Gonzales, deputy editor of the The Rothenberg Political Report, says that having more Republicans and more groups supporting immigration reform gives more “cover” for Republican members to support it — or at least tacitly support it without casting a vote.   “It could give (House) Speaker Boehner flexibility to bring about immigration legislation even though it looks like a deeply divided caucus,” Gonzales says.

As to whether taking the plunge and supporting immigration reform with a pathway to citizenship — as Senator Rubio has done — ends up being a better strategy than Cruz’,  ”we’ll have a clear test in 2015 and 2016,” says Gonzales.  ”The next presidential primary will be the ultimate test of who correctly gauged the issue, at least with the GOP.”

“Almost every Hispanic in the country wants to see immigration reform,” said Richardson in an interview with ABC News when asked about Senator Cruz. ”No, I don’t think he should be defined as Hispanic.  He’s a politician from Texas.  A conservative state,” added Richardson, who said he was “not a fan” of the Texas Tea Party conservative.

RELATED: Former New Mexico Governor: Ted Cruz not a “Hispanic” politician

The comments generated a lot of headlines, and subsequently Richardson clarified his comments in a Fox interview with Shepard Smith, saying his previous remarks were a misunderstanding.  “We disagree on immigration but all I was saying was I don’t consider myself just a Hispanic and he shouldn’t be defined as just a Hispanic,” said Richardson. “We’re other things, that’s what I said.”

Cruz was asked about Richardson’s initial comments. “In my view, if people are insulting you, if they are attacking your ethnicity, that tends to indicate that they don’t want to engage in the substantive merits of the arguments,” said Cruz.  When Cruz was told Richardson clarified his comments and said it had been a misunderstanding, Cruz said Richardson was entitled to his opinion.

“The Senators are really trying to stay unified on issues, so they will look at proposed amendments together and see if they can support — or oppose — them as a group,” says the aide.

Republican Senators Marco Rubio, John McCain, Lindsay Graham and Jeff Flake spent months working in tandem with Democratic Senators Robert Menendez, Chuck Schumer, Dick Durbin and Michael Bennet, and crafted the sweeping, 844-page Border Security, Economic Opportunity and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013.  The bill calls for a gradual pathway to citizenship for the approximately 11 million undocumented immigrants, as long as certain triggers are met regarding border security and a border fence, employment verification and an entry/exit visa system.  The proposed legislation also calls for eliminating the backlog for legal immigrants, and increasing the number of high-skilled visas as well as creating a new type of visa for low-skilled workers.

RELATED:  Obama on immigration reform: “I never said it was going to be easy” 

Pro-immigration reform proponents and legislators recognize there will be “landmines” in all those areas as the Senate undergoes the debate.

“From the beginning we were expecting senators who oppose it to make a lot of noise to try to stop the bill,” says the aide.

Today the pro-immigration group America’s Voice and other immigration advocates denounced senators they call the “Gang of Hate” for their opposition to reform.  Among the Senators singled out were Alabama Republican Senator Jeff Sessions, Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz and Iowa Republican Senator Chuck Grassley.  ”Their main objective is to kill the bill,” said Cesar Vargas, a Dreamer and the director of the DRM Action Coalition.

During recent Senate Judiciary Committee hearings, these senators, as well as groups who oppose the current immigration bill, took issue with different parts of the proposed bill, especially security concerns following the Boston terrorist bombings as well as doubts that legalizing the undocumented would be economically beneficial.

But it’s not just conservative or Republican amendments that the Gang of Eight will be reviewing.  More liberal groups are urging the Senate to include language making provisions for same-sex couples or to stress family reunification.

Some of these issues — such as the same-sex provision — could get thorny as the bipartisan group of senators review the different proposed amendments and try to keep a unified front, says the Congressional aide.

Speaking to Telemundo’s Lori Montenegro about the prospects of immigration legislation, President Barack Obama said, “there will be a number of ups and downs and near-death experiences as this thing — travels.  But –when you look at where the American people are — we can get this done.”

“Almost every Hispanic in the country wants to see immigration reform,” said Richardson in an interview with ABC News.  ”No, I don’t think he should be defined as Hispanic.  He’s a politician from Texas.  A conservative state,” added Richardson, who said he was “not a fan” of Cruz.

RELATED: Ted Cruz thrills crowd at NRA convention 

Richardson’s comments were swiftly criticized by Republican Alfonso Aguilar, Executive Director of the Latino Partnership for Conservative Principles.

“I’m very surprised that Ambassador Richardson made this comment — it is extremely insulting,” says Aguilar.  ”Your views on immigration should not define if you’re Hispanic or not.  We are not a monolithic community, and this is a typical way of thinking for those who believe in identity politics, and it is narrow-minded,” adds Aguilar.

That being said, Aguilar did not agree with a recent comment made by Democratic strategist James Carville — known for his straight-shooting and acerbic commentary — who heaped some praise on Senator Cruz.

“I think he’s the most talented and fearless Republican politician I’ve seen in 30 years,” said Carville, who said he does think Cruz will eventually run for president.

For his part, Aguilar thinks the longtime Democratic strategist  made those comments to encourage Ted Cruz to run.  ”Ted Cruz’ style and passion for opposing everything but proposing very little helps Democrats,” says Aguilar.  He adds that he considers Cruz one of the smartest guys in the Senate, “but one thing he needs to learn is humility - Ted Cruz is just grandstanding, but he’s not leading,” he adds.

“On immigration, Cruz is criticizing the bill, but he is not offering clear solutions,” Aguilar says. “Opposing everything without proposing an alternative is not a way to lead,” he states, contrasting Cruz’ stance to fellow Cuban-American Senator Marco Rubio.  ”Rubio is risking his political capital by taking a stance on immigration, and that shows leadership,” Aguilar adds.

Despite the fact Cruz has been criticized by Republicans and Democrats for his brash style and at times uncompromising stance, some fellow conservatives are very happy with his style.

“The voters who elected him like his style; and he plays well to that base and the national Tea Party base which feels like it doesn’t have that much representation left,” says Latino Decisions senior analyst Sylvia Manzano.

And while many pundits and politicians bemoan the lack of bipartisan cooperation in Washington, it is undeniable that more polemical Senators Cruz seem to get plenty of attention.

RELATED: Ted Cruz 2016 possible run could be a problem for Rubio

“We’ve had probably five or six lunches with a bunch of Republican senators standing up and looking at Rand and Mike and me and yelling at the top of their lungs — I mean really upset – why did you do this,” said Senator Cruz, referring to the letter Cruz, Rand and Lee sent to Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid threatening to filibuster if need be to make sure gun control legislation did not pass.  Cruz said that the senators said, “as a result of what you did, when I go home, my constituents are yelling at me that I’ve got to stand on principle,” said Cruz.

“I mean, I’m really not making that up,” added Cruz to laughter. “I don’t even argue with them. I just sort of let them yell,” said Cruz. The Texan Senator added that in the closed-door hearings, the Senators said they would now look like a bunch of “squishes” if they voted in favor of background checks.  The vast majority of Republican Senators did not vote for background checks, and the gun control measure failed in the Senate.

Cruz credited his, Senator Paul’s and Senator Lee’s filibuster letter with mobilizing the anti-gun control “grassroots” which then pressured Republican Senators to vote against the gun background checks.

“Let me tell you something the media ain’t telling you — we’re winning,” said Cruz to cheers.

RELATED: Latino voters support gun control laws, regardless of political party

That is not the case for all Republican senators who voted against expanded background checks for gun purchases. In a recent poll, New Hampshire Republican Senator Kelly Ayotte’s approval rating went down 15 points after voting against the background checks, and another poll found lower ratings for Arizona Senator Jeff Flake and Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski. In addition, 65 percent of  Americans said in a Gallup poll released today that the Senate should have passed the measure to expand background checks for gun purchases, while 29 percent agree with the Senate’s failure to pass the measure.

In terms of policy, however, Latino Decisions political scientist Sylvia Manzano says Cruz is right.

“Right now, Cruz raises a fair point — months after the president was re-elected, and even after the Newtown shooting, in the policy scoreboard, the Republicans won against gun control legislation,” says Manzano.

What about Cruz? While he may be ruffling many feathers — including those of Republican colleagues — Manzano says the Texan Cuban-American Tea Party Republican has been consistent.

“The voters who elected him like his style; and he plays well to that base and the national Tea Party base which feels like it doesn’t have that much representation left,” says Manzano.

“If these two individuals used the system – it’s a serious problem,” said Iowa Republican Senator Charles Grassley, a ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, referring to Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the suspects in the Boston bombings. “We know that the 9/11 hijackers abused our immigration system by overstaying their student visas,” added Grassley. “We also know that people enter legally and stay below the radar.”

Napolitano testified that the proposed immigration bill would “absolutely” make the country safer.  ”We want our country to focus on the  narcotraffickers, the money launderers — that’s why this bill should be passed,” said Napolitano. The Homeland Security Secretary added that legalizing undocumented immigrants, monitoring employers through E-verify and changing the visa system would reduce the need to focus on undocumented immigration and more on law enforcement.

RELATED: Senate hearing still shows deep clashes on immigration reform

Texas Senator Ted Cruz questioned the immigration bill’s set of triggers as a precondition to a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. The bill calls for the implementation of a border security and border fence strategy, as well as an employer verification system and an entry/exit visa tracking system before the legalization process could start. “Can you describe a circumstance in which DHS would say the trigger is not safe?” asked Cruz.

When Napolitano said that new technology has made and is continuing to make the border safer, Cruz said that did not answer the question. Napolitano said if levels of undocumented entry were back at 2005-2006 levels, that would be an example of the trigger not being met.

Alabama Republican Jeff Sessions said he was worried about the “vigor” of the Homeland Security Department, since “removals” were down by 40 percent.

Napolitano insisted on saying the border was much safer. She also said if she had her “druthers,” she would not put so much money into a border fence, as the bill proposes.

“The only people benefiting from the status quo in immigration today are the people trafficking human beings across the border, and the people who are hiring illegal labor for cheap purposes,” said Senator Rubio.  ”What we have in place today, the status quo, is horrible for America,” he added.

The Florida Senator is seen as a key player in getting Republican support for the sweeping immigration reform bill. Rubio, along with seven other Senators including Florida Democrat Senator Robert Menendez, have agreed on a framework on issues that seemed pretty intractable only a few months ago, including a pathway to citizenship for the nation’s undocumented, a major shift in the way visas are awarded to increase both low-skilled and high-skilled workers in the country, and a plan to secure the border and make enforcement of the laws more effective.

RELATED: Immigration timeline: Tuesday bill, Friday hearing 

Senator Rubio was asked by David Gregory how he would deal with the “fast and furious” criticism from Republican conservatives such as Texan Republican Senator Ted Cruz, who said legal immigrants would feel like chumps “because those who are here illegally would get on this legal path to citizenship” by paying a penalty and fines, and that this amounted to amnesty. Rubio countered by saying amnesty means forgiveness, whereas their bill requires undocumented immigrants to wait more than ten years, pay an application fee, pay a significant fine, does not allow for any federal benefits during this time, and requires gainful employment.

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Rubio said this contrasts with what will be a “cheaper, faster and easier” system for legal immigrants who have been waiting for citizenship.

As to the battles ahead with Republicans like Cruz who are opposed to elements of the upcoming bill, Rubio said he will welcome discussion, but said, “There are amendments that will be designed to make this thing un-doable.  And obviously, I’ll oppose those, especially if that’s the intent of them.”

On the political front, Senator Rubio defended previous comments he made in the past about his opposition to a path to citizenship for undocumented citizens. “What I’ve said in the past is that there is a pathway to citizenship, and that is the legal immigration system. And all this bill does is give people access to the legal immigration system.”

Rubio was asked whether these efforts on immigration from some Republicans such as him are enough to overcome the low poll numbers among Latino voters for Republicans – including Rubio – in recent polls.

“I get paid to solve problems,” said the Florida Republican Senator, adding the current immigration system is a serious problem. “We have millions of people in this country who are illegally here. We don’t know who they are, where they are,” Rubio said. “We have a legal immigration system that our business community is telling us is keeping them from creating jobs,” he added.

Latino Decisions political scientist Matt Barreto says Rubio is a very important piece of the immigration reform puzzle.

“If the bill is to eventually pass the House, it is going to need a very strong bipartisan vote in the Senate, and Rubio can bring those votes along,” Barreto says. “If he can do that, there is a very large upside to the GOP.  Our recent poll found that 43 percent of Latinos who voted for Obama would consider voting for a Republican candidate who took a leadership role on passing immigration reform,” says Barreto.

The key for Republicans, says Barreto, is that other Republicans don’t work against Rubio, McCain and others in the GOP that support reform. “If other Republicans block or defeat the bill, it could actually leave the GOP in worse standing with Latinos than Romney in 2012,” Barreto explains.

“We the undersigned intend to oppose any legislation that would infringe on the American people’s constitutional right to bear arms, or on their ability to exercise this right without being subjected to government surveillance,” said a letter signed by Senators Rubio, Cruz, Paul, Lee and Inhofe.

In his website, Senator Rubio  issued a statement  explaining his opposition.

“We should look for ways to keep firearms out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill prone to misusing them, but I oppose legislation that will be used as a vehicle to impose new Second Amendment restrictions on responsible, law-abiding gun owners,” said the Florida Republican Senator. “We should work to reduce tragic acts of violence by addressing violence at its source, including untreated mental illness, the lack of adequate information-sharing on mental health issues, and the breakdown of the family,” Rubio added.

Texas Senator Ted Cruz said in his statement, “It is saddening to see the president today, once again, try to take advantage of this tragic murder to promote an agenda that will do nothing to stop violent crime, but will undermine the constitutional rights of all law-abiding Americans.”

Both Senators’ insistence on the unconstitutionality of laws to delay or restrict gun purchases is not a view shared by the majority of Latino voters, as seen in a recent Latino Decisions poll.

“What we have is data that shows Latinos are in favor of much of the recently proposed gun control legislation introduced by Democrats,” says political scientist Adrian Pantoja. And unlike the general electorate, where views on gun control differ along party lines, these views are shared by the majority of Republican, Independent and Latino voters. “These legislators opposing legislation are out of step with the position the majority of Latinos hold on this issue.”

Background checks, for example, have the support of 86 percent of Latino Democrats, 84 percent of Latino Independents and 80 percent of Republican Latinos. Support for a national gun owner database has the support of 74 percent of Hispanic Democrats, 65 percent of Latino Republicans and 60 percent of Hispanic Independents.

“In the United States, a child or teen is killed by a firearm every three hours, and every 14 hours one of those youth is Latino,” said National Council of La Raza’s (NCLR) president and CEO Janet Murguía shortly after President Obama called for legislative action following the Newtown school massacre.

RELATED: Obama unveils national gun control proposals 

While the American public was supportive of gun control legislation following Newtown, the latest CBS News poll shows the support has cooled off, from 57 percent support for legislation following Newtown to 47 percent.

The issue is different with Hispanic voters, says Pantoja.

“For many Latinos living in urban or economically depressed areas, they see the reality of gun violence on a daily basis.  It’s not cyclical,” says Pantoja.  ”This issue is not going to go away, and I foresee policy proposals as well as well as greater restrictions in the future.  This issue resonates with Latino voters.”

Republican Senator Mike Lee (R-Utah) and five other Republicans of the Senate Judiciary Committee are raising  potential stumbling blocks, such as getting business and labor to agree on guest workers and visa programs, the issues of how secure the border has to be, and what exactly constitutes a pathway to citizenship.

The group of six Senators, including Texas Republican Ted Cruz, sent a letter to Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Patrick Leahy urging for more time to conduct hearings on immigration reform before any potential bill would be voted on.

“We’ve crossed the point of no return,” says the aide. “Are you going to have bumps? Yes, but it doesn’t mean it won’t go forward. Everybody is completely committed.” One reason why it is moving forward is the key role Republicans are playing in spearheading the effort, especially Senators John McCain and Senator Marco Rubio, joined by Democratic Senators Bob Menendez and Richard Durbin.  ”Republicans have understood the immigration issue has become an identity issue for Latino voters,” says the Senate aide, adding “They know they have to get it right.”

Recent polling bears this out. A new Latino Decisions poll found 61 percent of Latinos say they would be willing to vote for a pro-immigration reform Republican candidate over a Democrat who opposes a pathway to citizenship or calls it “amnesty.”

And a newly-released Brookings PRRI poll found 63 percent of Americans believe undocumented immigrants should be given an eventual path to citizenship; less than one in five (14 percent) oppose eventual citizenship. Moreover, nearly half (45 percent) of Americans say the Republican Party’s positions on immigration have hurt the party.

The Republican National Committee’s (RNC) recently-released blueprint calls for immigration reform, and Kentucky Tea conservative and Tea Party Republican Rand Paul endorsed the need to fix the current system, including legalizing the nation’s undocumented.

“At the end of the day, Congress is designed to move following the will of the people,” says the Senate aide. “But when you are seeing not just Latinos but significant numbers of African-Americans and whites basically lining up with these ideas, it’s a mandate to get things done. Things can slip off or on for a week or two, but it will happen.”