Texas Border Business
By Roberto Hugo González
U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said that Sheriff Danny Dominguez (D-Presidio County, Texas) as his guest will accompany him to President Joe Biden’s upcoming State of the Union address to Congress on Thursday evening. As a frontline figure in what is described as the unprecedented illegal immigration crisis facing the nation, Sheriff Dominguez intimately understands the significant pressures these challenges pose to communities along the Texas-Mexico border. Senator Cruz and Sheriff Dominguez are united across party lines in their determination to address and curb the disorder and illegal activities compromising the safety and security of Texas and the broader United States.
Upon announcing, Sen. Cruz said, “Sheriff Danny Dominguez is joining me tomorrow for the State of the Union. He is a proud Texan, an elected Democratic official for 28 years, and a selfless law enforcement official on the front lines of this unprecedented illegal immigration crisis at our southern border. Sherriff Dominguez has seen first-hand the devastating impact of this crisis: children that have been brutalized, women that have been raped, and Americans dying from narcotics and fentanyl flooding through our open border. Enough is enough. Together, we share the common goal of securing our communities from danger and lawlessness that this open border represents.”
Sheriff Dominguez said, “For 28 years, I have proudly served my county working day in and day out to keep them safe. In the last 3 years, the crisis at our southern border has gotten out of control. Crime has increased, and our resources are limited. My fellow law enforcement officers are facing deadly risks every single day. Senator Cruz has been leading the fight since day one to secure our border for the sake of our communities. I am proud and honored to be Senator Cruz’s guest for the State of the Union.”
BACKGROUND
Sen. Cruz is leading congressional efforts to secure the Texas-Mexico border.
- Sen. Cruz has led numerous groups of legislators on fact-finding trips to the U.S. Mexico border to document the unprecedented crisis of Joe Biden’s open borders agenda.
- Sen. Cruz introduced the WALL Act to fully fund the wall along the southern border, and the EL CHAPO Act, which would use money forfeited to the U.S. government as a result of the criminal prosecution of Mexican drug lord “El Chapo” and other drug kingpins for border security and the completion of the wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
- Sen. Cruz has fought to keep American communities safe, as “sanctuary cities” across the country refuse to enforce the laws and release violent criminals illegally into our country. The Stop Dangerous Sanctuary Cities Act would allow local law enforcement to cooperate with federal immigration authorities and would pull taxpayer-funded grants to sanctuary cities.
- Sen. Cruz has successfully secured several amendments to the Coast Guard Authorization Act which support security efforts at our southern border. Sen. Cruz delivered on legislation that mandates real-time data sharing between U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (USCBP) and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), legislation that would mandate the acquisition of enhanced surveillance capabilities for the southern maritime boundary, and legislation that would explore the creation of a Coast Guard facility at Port Mansfield.
- Sen. Cruz led the Asylum Accountability Act in the Senate which would impose a significant increase in the penalty for illegal aliens who fail to appear in immigration court by permanently barring them from gaining any future benefit under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
- Sen. Cruz led the effort to confront the Biden administration to address the humanitarian and security crisis at the U.S. southern border by establishing effective immigration controls in the United States. He also focused on targeting U.S. foreign assistance efforts to strengthen border security and migration management capacities in the region, and leveraging existing bilateral extradition treaties and the Palermo Protocols to prosecute transnational criminal actors facilitating illegal migration to the United State.
- Sen. Cruz led the Senate companion to H.R. 2, the House-passed border security bill.
