Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas said after Thursday evening’s GOP presidential debate that he’s the only candidate in the 2016 presidential race who has consistently opposed “amnesty” for illegal immigrants.

“In the Republican field, I am the only person on that stage, the only Republican running, who opposes amnesty, who opposes a pathway to citizenship,” Mr. Cruz said on Fox News’ “The Kelly File.” “Marco Rubio and Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump — all three of them support a pathway to citizenship.”

“Even Donald Trump, who uses a lot of tough language, says that we should send people home but then let them back in and become citizens. That, as you know, is what’s called touchback, the establishment Republicans — it’s a form of amnesty, the Trump touchback, where they fly home, they touch the ground and come back as citizens,” Mr. Cruz said.

“I am the only Republican running who has consistently opposed amnesty every single day and will do so as president,” he said.

Mr. Trump, who was not at Thursday’s debate, has called Mr. Cruz “very weak” on the issue of illegal immigration and has said Mr. Cruz is following his own lead on a call to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Mr. Rubio, who helped author a 2013 bill that would provide an eventual pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants, said during Thursday’s debate that he opposes amnesty.