In his final campaign speech, Texas Senator Ted Cruz aimed at Vice President Kamala Harris , suggesting that if she were to win the presidential race this year, the number of undocumented immigrants in the United States would double due to what he characterized as lenient border policies.
In the lead-up to the 2024 elections, anti-immigrant rhetoric has emerged as a prominent talking point for former President Donald Trump and other influential Republicans. Over the past year, this issue has gained significant importance among voters, particularly those who align with the GOP.
Cruz has been consistently emphasizing the issue of illegal immigration throughout his campaign against Democrat Colin Allred in his bid to retain his senate seat. According to Cruz, the Biden-Harris administration and the Democrats have been actively promoting and aiding illegal immigration into the United States.
In the recent episode of his Verdict podcast, Cruz made a bold statement, suggesting that the number of undocumented immigrants would significantly increase under another Democrat administration.
“If Kamala wins, God help us, the numbers will skyrocket,” Cruz exclaimed. He expressed his concern that in the last four years, there have been 11.5 million people entering the country. Cruz fears that if Kamala becomes president for another four years, that number will increase to 25 or even 30 million. He believes that their objective is to invade the country with what they perceive as future Democratic voters.
Cruz concluded his campaign by visiting the border cities of El Paso and McAllen. He expressed his concern about the issue of unlawful border crossings, referring to it as “the worst invasion in our nation’s history.”
During his speech, he amusingly compared his task of talking about the border in El Paso to Noah talking about the flood. He humorously acknowledged the audience’s familiarity with the topic. Additionally, while at a burger restaurant in McAllen, he claimed that Allred backs the Biden administration’s “open borders” policies.
During a rally at a burger restaurant in McAllen, Cruz criticized Allred for his alleged support of the Biden administration’s “open borders” policies. Additionally, Cruz highlighted his own 12-year track record as a staunch advocate for the oil and gas industry in the United States Senate. The rally also featured the presence of conservative commentator Ben Shapiro, who joined Cruz in addressing the crowd.
According to a recent report from the Pew Research Center, the undocumented population has likely increased in the last two years due to the record levels of encounters along the U.S. borders in recent months. However, it is important to note that this growth does not reach the extent claimed by Cruz.
According to the Pew Research, the number of undocumented immigrants in the U.S. increased from 10.5 million to 11 million between 2021 and 2022, marking a reversal in the long-term downward trend observed from 2007 to 2019. While it is expected that the population will continue to grow as a result of record encounters and parole through federal programs, it is important to note that Cruz’s comments can be misleading as they are based on a misinterpretation of migrant “encounters.”
Since President Biden took office, there have been over 10.8 million encounters with migrants along the U.S. borders, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. However, there was a slight decrease of nearly 300,000 encounters in Fiscal Year 2024 compared to the previous year, when the Biden administration recorded over 3.2 million encounters across the country.
According to Cruz, if Trump were to be elected, he would immediately take action to reduce the population of undocumented immigrants residing in the United States.
According to Cruz, the timeline for this project is much shorter than expected. He confidently stated, “I don’t even believe it’s going to take six months, let alone a year.” He further specified that the completion of this project will occur in January and February of next year during his podcast.
According to him, Trump would also eliminate the practice of catch and release, which involves releasing certain migrants apprehended by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security while awaiting their immigration court proceedings.
According to Cruz, the crucial factor that influences illegal immigration is the policy response to apprehended immigrants. He emphasizes that if the response involves promptly deporting them, the number of illegal immigrants will significantly decrease.