Good Evening,

Mark Swidan has finally returned home to Texas after enduring twelve years as a political prisoner of the Chinese Communist Party. This moment is not just a triumph for Mark and his family, but for every Texan and American. I am deeply proud to have fought for his long-overdue release. Over the past twelve years, Mark endured the brutal reality of an unjust detention and death sentence. For years, I have relentlessly advocated across the government and fought to apply direct pressure on Chinese officials to secure his release. In the Senate, we united to pass a unanimous resolution I introduced calling for Mark's freedom. This week, the day we fought and prayed for finally arrived. Mark’s release sends an unshakable message to the rest of the world that America will always fight for its citizens and will not waver in its convictions to defend the principles of freedom and justice.

ICYMI: Sen. Cruz Issues Statement on Release of Unjustly Held Americans from China

“I am celebrating the return of three Americans, especially Mark Swidan. Mark Swidan is a Texan from Houston [and for] twelve years [he was] unjustly imprisoned in communist China. I have raised it directly with the Foreign Minister of China. I've raised it with President Biden. I've raised it with Secretary of State, Tony Blinken. I will give him credit on this [as] Tony Blinken, just two weeks ago, pressed the Chinese government and [now] Mark Swidan is back home with his mother. …. This is a time where all Texans and Americans should be celebrating.”

We secured another major victory this week with the Senate’s unanimous passage of my bipartisan bill, the TAKE IT DOWN Act. This important legislation will require social media companies and other sites to remove non-consensual intimate imagery within 48 hours of notice from a victim and criminalize the person who published the images. After the bill passed, I spoke with Elliston Berry of Texas and Francesca Mani of New Jersey – the driving forces behind this legislative victory. Both of these teenage girls are victims of AI-deepfakes and they bravely told their stories to help enact real change. For young victims and their parents, these deepfakes are a matter requiring urgent attention and protection under the law. I will continue to work with my colleagues in Washington to move this common-sense bipartisan legislation quickly through the House and to the President’s desk so it can be signed into law.

ICYMI: Senate Unanimously Passes Cruz-Klobuchar Bill Stopping AI ‘Revenge Porn’
READ: U.S. Senate passes Ted Cruz bill cracking down on deepfake nudes

Defending the rights and freedoms of Texans has always been a driving force guiding my work in the Senate. As the United States Supreme Court prepares to hear the case of Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. v. Estados Unidos Mexicanos, I led a group of my Republican colleagues in filing an amicus brief urging the Supreme Court to uphold American sovereignty and the Second Amendment. In the brief we argue a lawsuit filed by Mexico in U.S. federal court against American firearms manufacturers, for crimes committed by Mexican cartels in Mexico, is a violation of American sovereignty and sets a dangerous precedent threatening the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding Americans. This case is about more than legal technicalities; it’s about defending our Constitution and ensuring that foreign governments cannot dictate our domestic policies or infringe on the rights of American citizens.

ICYMI: Sen. Cruz Leads Bicameral Amicus Urging Supreme Court to Uphold American Sovereignty and the Second Amendment
READ: Ted Cruz, GOP lawmakers urge SCOTUS to end 'Mexico's assault on our Second Amendment'

Rest assured, I will continue to fight for your rights and freedoms. God Bless!

Keep Texas Strong,

MORE FROM SEN. CRUZ:

ICYMI: Cruz Calls Out Potentially Illegal Foreign Influence on U.S. AI Policy
READ: Cruz On Biden Pardoning His Son: ‘It Is About Protecting His Own Rear End’
ICYMI: Sen. Ted Cruz Statement on Israel-Hezbollah Ceasefire
READ: Ted Cruz predicts illegal immigration will 'plummet' immediately after Trump's inauguration

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