Tired of having Texas bear the brunt of the border crisis, Sen. Ted Cruz is proposing a different idea: Ship newly arrived illegal immigrants to deep blue territories like New England or California, and see how they handle it.
He even proposed putting one of the new ports of entry for processing illegal immigrants in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, which is President Biden’s vacation retreat.
The Republican senator on Tuesday announced his bill, the Stop the Surge Act, which he said would bring the border problems straight to “where Democrat elites host their cocktail parties.”
Among the 13 locations are Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts; Newport, Rhode Island; and North Hero, Vermont — that latter location picked, Mr. Cruz said, because it is the summer home of Sen. Bernard Sanders.
Biden administration officials have acknowledged that Texas facilities have been overwhelmed by the unprecedented surge of migrants this year.
Tens of thousands are being caught and released directly into Texas communities each month, which local officials say has contributed to the spread of COVID-19 and other diseases, as well as taxed government services.
Mr. Cruz’s bill says those migrants would be immediately relocated to the new ports of entry he would establish in the Democratic-leaning areas. His bill specifically denies Homeland Security “discretion” to make other plans.
The legislation is unlikely to go anywhere in a town currently controlled by Democrats, but Mr. Cruz suggested his intent is to drive home the extent of the border mess.
“If Washington Democrats had to endure even a fraction of the suffering South Texas families, farmers, ranchers, and small businesses have had to face, our nation’s immigration laws would be enforced, the wall would be built, and the Remain in Mexico policy would be re-implemented,” he said.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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