Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has stated that he believes the only way to fix the ongoing migrant crisis and reverse the lawless actions taken by the Biden administration is a new president in the White House.
“I believe the only way to solve this crisis is through a new president who’s actually willing to follow the law,” Cruz told Fox News Digital in an interview.
Cruz addressed the three-year-long crisis at the southern border, which has reached unprecedented levels. Sources told Fox News there were over 260,000 migrant encounters in September.
Republicans have pointed the finger at the Biden administration, claiming the situation was exacerbated by the administration’s decision to reverse policies put in place by Trump. Cruz attributed the crisis to three Biden administration measures in 2021:
- The ending of border wall construction.
- The broader use of catch-and-release.
- The end of the Remain-in-Mexico policy, in which migrants were held in Mexico for their asylum hearings.
He pointed to the consequences for his home state of Texas.
“South Texas is in an absolute state of crisis. The jails are overflowing; the hospitals are overflowing; the schools are overflowing. And throughout Texas, we’re seeing the very real human consequences of Joe Biden and the Democrats’ open borders,” he said.
He additionally referred to Democratic officials’ criticism of the Biden administration, citing New York City’s declaration of being overwhelmed by the influx of more than 111,000 migrants. Cruz claimed that the numbers seen in border communities are much higher. He noted in one day, Eagle Pass, Texas, which has a population of around 28,000 people, saw 4,000 migrant encounters.
“That is 14% of the entire population of the city coming in a single day. The comparable number to New York City would be 1,260,000 illegal immigrants crossing into New York City in a single day. If 110,000 is a crisis, what do you think over a million would be?” he asked. “That is happening throughout our southern border.”
The Biden administration has repeatedly denied that the crisis results from its policies. Officials have said they are dealing with a Hemisphere-wide challenge and that its policies of expanding lawful migration pathways, targeting root causes, and reinstating consequences for illegal entry are working. It has also boasted increased returns since the ending of Title 42, claiming more have been returned than in the same period in 2019.
The Biden administration has encouraged Republicans to pass immigration reform legislation and increase funding for the southern border in order to rectify what it sees as a broken system.
House Republicans have sponsored and passed their own immigration and border security reform. Cruz proposed the Senate version of the bill and urged swift approval by Congress.
He also maintains that the situation could be resolved if the government deported migrants instead of letting them freely enter the United States. However, Cruz says he does not believe that will happen, claiming that the Biden administration has been more radical than the Obama administration.
“Obama generally followed the law on immigration, which meant the Obama administration deported millions of people. If you remember, the left wing got very angry with him and called him the deporter in chief,” he said.
“What Joe Biden is doing has never happened in the history of our nation. He’s simply ignoring the law, is defying the law brazenly,” he said. “And as long as you have a president, as long as you have a chief executive who ignores the law, it doesn’t matter what laws are on the books. If you have a president that is willing to defy the law and you have a corrupt corporate media that is willing to cover for his illegal conduct, as long as this lawless administration remains in power, this crisis will continue, and I believe it will continue to get worse.”