Sen. Ted Cruz, who is aspiring to presidency under the Republican Party, made his stance clear on illegal immigrants in a televised interview Tuesday. Speaking with host Bill O'Reilly on the show "O'Reilly Factor," the Texas representative stated that he believes properly enforcing the law would best address the situation of some 12 million illegal immigrants in the United States.

"We should build a wall, we should triple the Border Patrol," the senator said. "And federal law requires that anyone here illegally that's apprehended should be deported." He also agreed to the implementation of biometric scanners.

Did He Change His Stance?

O'Reilly further asked the senator if he would actively be looking for illegals, which is similar to the stance of his political opponent, Donald Trump. The senator stated that he's adopting a policy in accordance with the law. "That's what [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] exists for," said Cruz. "We have law enforcement that looks for people who are violating the laws, that apprehends them and deports them."

Several media outlets took his latest statement to mean that he has changed his stance on illegals and immigration. In a January interview with Jake Tapper on the show "State of the Union," Cruz actually discounted "deportation force." "No, I don't intend to send jackboots to knock on your door and every door in America. That's not how we enforce the law for any crime," Cruz told Tapper.

Criticizing His Opponents' Immigration Policies

But that comment was meant highlight the difference between his policies to that of Trump's, who declared he would be going after illegals hard. "I will get them out so fast that your head would spin, long before I even can start the wall," Trump said. "They will be out of here. You know we have tremendous problems of crime."

Cruz is also known to be a staunch critic of the immigration policies of Mark Rubio, another presidential candidate for the same party. The senator directly attacked his opponent in a TV ad, which narrated how the public shouldn't trust Rubio's "amnesty" for the illegals.

Trump Reacts

In response to Cruz's interview, Trump sneered at his opponent on Twitter by saying that Cruz is taking a harder stance on immigration this time around because it is necessary. "He did so badly in S.C," Trump wrote. "He is in favor of amnesty and weak on illegal immigration."