ICYMI: Sen. Cruz on Fox's "The Kelly File"

WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, last night spoke with Fox News’ Megyn Kelly regarding the Obama administration’s release of five senior Taliban terrorists and the increasing numbers of unaccompanied minors illegally crossing the Southern border.

On unaccompanied minors:

“This is a humanitarian crisis and it is a direct result of President Obama's lawlessness and unwillingness to enforce the law,” Sen. Cruz said. “In 2011 there were roughly 6,000 unaccompanied minors that came across the border. This year it is expected there would be roughly 90,000, next year they're projecting up to 145,000. It's important to understand what causes this… President Obama unilaterally and illegally granted amnesty to some 800,000 people who were here illegally who came as children.

“And what that has prompted as parents throughout Central and South America are giving their young children, and handing them over to smugglers. And it's worth emphasizing, these are transnational global criminal cartels and parents are giving them teenage girls, teenage boys, these boys are subject, these girls are subject to physical assault, to sexual assault, to being sold in the prostitution. It is horrific.”

On releasing the ‘Taliban 5’:

“All five of these were senior members of the Taliban, which was intertwined with Al Qaeda, who I know no one needs reminding on September 11th, 2001 murdered nearly 3,000 people on the American homeland… Our young men and women, our soldiers, went and expended blood and treasure to capture these five senior terrorists. They were high priority targets. We captured them and by releasing them, the President made one very candid admission. When he was asked he said it was quote, ‘absolutely possible that these five senior terrorists would return to actively waging war against America.’ We're still fighting the war. The Taliban is fighting against the men and women of our military and trying to kill Americans today.”

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