Republican Senator Ted Cruz has made headlines with his call for action to address the growing influx of immigrants from Venezuela into the United States. But what did he say that’s got so many people concerned? Let’s take a look.
Cruz’s Call for Action
In a recent interview with Newsweek, Ted Cruz suggested that the U.S. government should do more to deal with the growing number of people coming from Venezuela to the United States.
Border Crisis Concerns
Worries about immigration are high at the minute due to the crisis at the Texas border wall, but what exactly was Cruz’s solution?
A Radical Solution
Cruz believes that the best way to do this is by overthrowing Venezuela’s leader, Nicolás Maduro.
Escalating Numbers
The number of people leaving Venezuela and coming to the U.S. has increased steadily in the last few years.
Migration Statistics
The numbers paint a clear picture of the situation: in 2021, there were about 50,499 encounters with people from Venezuela trying to enter the U.S. But by 2022, that number had skyrocketed to 334,913.
A Steady Rise in Encounters With Venezuelan Immigrants
It’s still going up, with 164,520 Venezuelans entering the U.S. illegally between October and January of this year.
If the figures keep climbing as they have done, America could expect to see over 400k new Venezuelan residents by year’s end.
Government Measures
The U.S. government has tried different things to deal with this problem. In October, they said they would send back Venezuelans who came to the U.S. illegally without a legal claim to stay.
DHS Strategy
This decision came amid what DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas described as an “unprecedented level of migration throughout our hemisphere,” and was part of a bigger plan to deal with the nation’s immigration crisis.
Contrasting Policies for Venezuelans Already in the U.S.
But just a couple of weeks before that, the government said they would let hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans already in the U.S. stay here temporarily and work.
Cruz’s Proposal
Senator Cruz thinks that if the U.S. takes a stronger stand against Maduro, it could help improve things in Venezuela and stop so many people from leaving.
In the interview, he said, “There’s no doubt standing strong against Maduro and working to topple Maduro – who is an illegitimate leader and a tyrant and a despot, who is oppressing the people of Venezuela – would be a dramatic improvement for the people of Venezuela and for the world.”
Trump-Era Progress
Cruz argued that the U.S. was starting to make good progress on this before Trump’s tenure by putting pressure on Maduro with sanctions.
Leadership Critique
The U.S. government did a lot to make life hard for Maduro and his government under Trump, but Cruz says that since Biden became president, the U.S. has stopped being so tough on him.
Cruz Accuses Current Administration of Leniency
Instead, Cruz says they’re trying to make peace with Maduro, which he alleges is only making things worse for people.
Immigration Policy Criticism
Cruz isn’t just worried about what’s happening in Venezuela – he’s also upset about how the U.S. government is handling immigration.
To make his point, Cruz pointed to the case of Laken Riley, who was killed by a man from Venezuela who was in the U.S. illegally.
A Tragic Example
Cruz says that the Biden administration isn’t doing enough to make sure that people who come to the U.S. illegally are sent back home and blamed Biden’s lax immigration policies for allowing Riley’s killer to remain in the country despite previous encounters with law enforcement.
Failure to Deport
Cruz alleges that Riley’s killer, who was caught in El Paso, should have been deported at the time, but “Joe Biden made the decision to release him.”
He was later arrested again in New York City but once again let go.
Sanctuary City Allegations
Cruz blamed New York’s sanctuary city status as the reason they failed to inform federal immigration officials, resulting in Riley’s death.
Prioritize Immigration Law Enforcement and Border Security
In Cruz’s view, Biden needs to prioritize enforcing immigration laws and securing the border to prevent similar tragedies in the future.
He argues that failing to do so will only encourage more illegal immigration and will put American lives at risk.
Preventing Tragedies
As Cruz keeps pushing for a tougher approach to both the situation in Venezuela and immigration in the U.S., it’s clear that these are big issues that lots of people have strong opinions about.
National Debate
The government will have to work hard to figure out how to balance helping people who are in trouble and making sure that the country stays safe.
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