Sen. Cruz Goes Off on Senate Democrats Whose Political Posturing is Costing Innocent American Lives

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), member of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, today participated in a full committee hearing focused on understanding the dangers and costs that sanctuary cities impose on the American people. There, Sen. Cruz denounced Senate Democrats for pushing their political agenda rather than coming together to address the escalating security and humanitarian crisis at the southern border and protect innocent lives:

"I've talked to too many Texans and too many people across this country who have lost their children in murders from illegal aliens who were in jail until Democratic politicians released them, violent criminals, into our community. And it is wrong to play these political games releasing murderers. [...] The answer for all of us, Democrat and Republican ‘oughta be ‘hell no.' We're not going to release violent murderers who are illegal aliens into our communities."

He went on to discuss Kate Steinle, whose life was taken in San Francisco - a sanctuary city - by a criminal illegal alien who had several felony convictions and had been deported from the United States five times:

"This committee heard testimony from Kate Steinle's family. Kate Steinle was a beautiful 28-year-old California woman who was murdered on a pier in Northern California by an illegal alien, who had been in and out of prison over and over and over again, and yet, and had been deported over and over and over again and our revolving door system kept letting him go. Kate Steinle's father who I visited with, held his daughter in his arms as she cried out, ‘Daddy, please save me.' Every one of us who has kids [ ... ] what a nightmare. And the thing that is frustrating: that was utterly and completely preventable. Politics killed her. Political posturing killed her."

Sen. Cruz then highlighted Kate's Law, his legislation to put criminal illegal aliens in jail so they cannot prey on innocent Americans:

"And by the way, for every Democratic senator [who] says, we're all for stopping violent criminals, well, you know what? There's an easy solution. Kate's Law, which I'm the author of in this body. Kate's Law says violent criminal illegal aliens, aggravated felons, if they enter illegally a second time, will face a mandatory minimum prison sentence.

As the security and humanitarian crisis at the border continues as a result of Democrats' political posturing, Sen. Cruz expressed his gratitude for the commitment and selfless sacrifice of law enforcement officers and border patrol agents:

"So, I want to say, to the witnesses here thank you for your testimony. Thank you for your hard work to keep us safe. Thank you for the officer tonight, who's out on the line, who's knocking on that door of an MS-13 agent who doesn't know if he's going to meet a machine gun on the other side of that door, a machete, doesn't know what he's gonna face, but he's he or she is going through that door to keep us safe. Thank you for that."

Watch Sen. Cruz's full remarks at today's hearing here.

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