Cruz in Breakaway Group to Oppose Immigration Bill

Four top Senate Republicans are voicing their displeasure with the immigration reform bill coursing its way through the Senate.

The foursome -- Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas; Chuck Grassley of Iowa; Jeff Sessions of Alabama; and Mike Lee of Utah -- outlined their complaints in a letter to colleagues.

They think the bill's guidelines are too loose when it comes to security, The Hill reports. The letter says the new legislation has the same inadequacies as the 1986 immigration reform law.

"In 1986, the American people were promised that, in exchange for granting legal status to illegal immigrants, the border would be secured and the law enforced," the letter states.

"Washington broke these promises. Unfortunately, the so-called 'Gang of Eight' immigration bill repeats these mistakes."

The Judiciary Committee, often including Republican Gang of Eight members Lindsey Graham and Jeff Flake, has rejected amendments by Lee and Grassley. A Grassley amendment would have required effective control over the southern border for six months before allowing 11 million illegal immigrants to stay, The Hill reports.

And the committee approved amendments opposed by the four letter-writers. "The bill's already serious flaws were exacerbated by the adoption of several amendments that significantly weaken current law, hamstring law enforcement, and further complicate our legal immigration system," the letter reads.