Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz received the endorsement of Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, a staunch opponent of comprehensive immigration reform and President Barack Obama’s immigration executive actions.

"For almost a year now, my regular prayer has been that God will raise up a leader whom he will use tor restore the soul of America. I've had the great privilege of getting to know 15, even 17, Republican candidates for president, and I'm looking at them respecting and liking all of them. One of them has been standing at my side time after time whenever there was a crisis that we need to address and it was Sen. Ted Cruz, every time," said King in a video released on Nov. 16.

According to King, Cruz is an "originalist" to the Constitution and will make the right judicial appointments, not just at the Supreme Court level. He added that Cruz understands that there is a need to secure the border and "restore the rule of law." Furthermore, the Iowa congressman said the Texas senator knows there is the need to defeat the ideology and culture of Islamic jihad.

"He understands we got to restore this culture in America that we have to balance the budget, pay down our national debt, strengthen our families," said King, who then called on Iowans to turnout on Feb. 1 to participate in the state's caucus in favor of Cruz.

King also provided a written statement about his endorsement. He said Cruz has the conservative vision to fix the "failures" from the Obama administration.

King stated that Cruz has been consistent and fought against Obama's "lawless" executive actions, referring to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Deferred Action for Parental Accountability (DAPA) programs, which would allow up to 5 million eligible undocumented immigrants to temporarily stay in the U.S. pending federal requirements and background checks.

"I am beyond honored to receive Steve's endorsement," said Cruz in response. "Steve is a tremendous leader in the House and one of the few truly principled men and women in Washington. He is a courageous conservative who stands up for our values and refuses to back down. His support comes at a fantastic time for our campaign as we are seeing people in Iowa and across the country signing up, volunteering, contributing, and joining our campaign to reignite the promise of America."

"I can't thank Steve enough and know that his help gives us a significant advantage as we continue to grow and have success in Iowa and across the nation," added Cruz.

Last November, King said Obama's "illegal amnesty" would result in a "Constitutional crisis."

"The audacity of this President to think he can completely destroy the Rule of Law with the stroke of a pen is unfathomable to me," King said last November. "It is unconstitutional, it is cynical, and it violates the will of the American people. Our Republic will not stand if we tolerate a President who is set upon the complete destruction of the Rule of Law."

King also debated two undocumented immigrants, who confronted him on his DACA opposition in August 2014. The two undocumented immigrants were DREAM Action Coalition's Erika Andiola and Cesar Vargas, both of whom are now campaigning for Sen. Bernie Sanders', I-Vt., Democratic presidential campaign.

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For the latest updates, follow Latin Post's Politics Editor Michael Oleaga on Twitter: @EditorMikeO or contact via email: m.oleaga@latinpost.com.

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