Legislation introduced on Oct. 19 by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) calls for 13 new ports of entry to be established to handle the historic surge of undocumented migrants entering the United States. Cruz wants the new centers to be placed where Democrats will notice, locations described by the senator as “Democrat-led communities.” The legislation is titled the Stop the SURGE Act, and it calls on President Biden, Congressional Democrats, and the President’s administration to address the crisis on the southern border.
“For the past ten months, President Biden and his administration have willingly surrendered the United States’ southern border to dangerous criminal cartels, with no thought given to the South Texas border communities like McAllen and Del Rio, which are running low on resources from dealing with this massive influx of illegal immigrants,” Cruz said when introducing the act.
Cruz and fellow Republicans visited Del Rio earlier this month to take stock of the situation and speak with residents and local leaders about the issues they face in dealing with the surge of illegal migrants crossing into the U.S. They heard stories of ranchers finding dead bodies in fields and mothers who will not let their children play outside without having a firearm.
“If Washington Democrats had to endure even a fraction of the suffering South Texas families, farmers, ranchers, and small businesses have had to face, our nation’s immigration laws would be enforced, the wall would be built, and the Remain in Mexico policy would be re-implemented. I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to stop ignoring the plight of South Texas communities and act swiftly to end this horrific humanitarian crisis,” the statement by Cruz says.
The legislation proposes new facilities in Martha’s Vineyard, a popular vacation destination for elite Democrats, including former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. It also names three locations in California’s fabled Napa Valley, popular with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, her nephew, and current Governor of California Gavin Newsom. Finally, there’s North Hero, Vermont, where Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-NH) owns a vacation home.
On the President’s first day in office, the Biden Administration canceled a policy developed by the Trump administration and the government of Mexico called Remain in Mexico. Biden has regularly criticized Border Patrol agents and has reinstituted a “catch and release” policy that was standard practice under the Obama administration. At the same time, South Texas Democrats have grown frustrated with the lack of action and Washington D.C. Democrats continue to resist making changes.
“Why is it that whenever Ted Cruz is facing a crisis in Texas his mind seems to wander to vacation destinations? First it was Cancun, now it’s Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard. Last week he voted to default on our nation’s debt, now he’s wasting resources on lame political stunts,” U.S. Representative William Keating (D-MA) posted on social media.
The Stop the SURGE act calls for centers to be located in Block Island, R.I., Greenwich, Conn., Martha’s Vineyard, Mass., Cambridge, Mass., Governors Island, N.Y., Rehoboth Beach, Del., Nantucket, Mass., Newport, R.I., Scarsdale, N.Y., Palo Alto, Calif., Yountville, Calif., St. Helena, Calif., and North Hero, Vt.
Senate Democrats representing these areas did not respond to requests for comment for this story.
