U.S. Representative Ted Cruz (R-Texas) underscored the necessity of fortifying the southern border and curtailing Mexican cartels. Cruz alluded to the thousands of American lives claimed in 2023 due to drug overdoses, drawing attention to the "massive" quantity of fentanyl infiltrating through the U.S. border.
"We need to secure the southern border," said Cruz, according to X. "The drug cartels make billions from human smuggling into the United States. President Biden and Alejandro Mayorkas made a political choice to prioritize keeping the border open rather than keeping people safe."
In a press conference coinciding with Cruz's tweet on X, the senator illuminated some of the strategies employed by smugglers and cartels to exploit weaknesses along the border. He expounded on how smugglers intentionally create diversions along the river to aid drug smuggling operations. These distractions, he elucidated, encompassed smugglers thrusting children into the water with the intent of compelling border patrol agents to rescue them. Cruz also referenced data from The New York Times that estimated cartel human trafficking profits surged from $500 million in 2018 to $13 billion in 2023. Deaths from drug overdoses in America, he said, reached 100,000 - a record high for the country and nearly double the number of American lives lost in the Vietnam War.
Ted Cruz tweet
| https://twitter.com/SenTedCruz/photo
According to a fact sheet from Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), Fentanyl is an extremely potent synthetic opioid that is approximately 100 times stronger than morphine and 50 times more potent than heroin. While it is legally produced in the U.S., it often finds its way into illegal markets through theft, counterfeit prescriptions, and unlawful distribution.
Cruz's website reveals that he was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2013. He advocates for limited government, economic growth, and national security. Holding degrees from Princeton and Harvard Law School, Cruz has served on George W. Bush's campaign and as solicitor general of Texas.
