US Senator slams Biden as 'greatest friend' of Mexican drug cartels
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US Sen. Ted Cruz accuses President Joe Biden of "litigating against the state of Texas to try to stop Texas from securing the border."
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US President Joe Biden speaks during a United Auto Workers' political convention, on Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
US Sen. Ted Cruz told reporters on Wednesday that President Joe Biden is the "greatest friend" of Mexican drug cartels because of his open border policies that benefit criminal organizations.
Earlier this month, US media reported that border security officials documented 302,000 migrant encounters in December, marking the highest single-month figure ever recorded. The Biden administration has also experienced three consecutive years of record numbers of illegal migration on the southern border.
"Joe Biden is litigating against the state of Texas to try to stop Texas from securing the border," Cruz said during a press conference.
He slammed Biden as "the greatest friend the Mexican drug cartels have ever had. He is the greatest financial benefactor the Mexican drug cartels have ever had. He is the single largest human trafficker in history."
The US Justice Department has taken legal action to stop several efforts the state of Texas has taken to deter the record levels of migrants crossing into the United States illegally over the last three years.
The Justice Department argues that Texas' actions prevent federal Border Patrol agents from carrying out their duties, which include processing migrants once they cross into US soil as required by US law.
US National Border Patrol Council Vice President, Art Del Cueto, told Sputnik earlier this month that the Biden administration's lax border security policies benefit criminal organizations seeking to expand their enterprises in the United States.
According to the US House Homeland Security Committee, criminal organizations in Mexico made an estimated $13 billion in 2021 from human smuggling on the US southern border. A US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) official previously said migrants pay cartels about $8,000 to $12,000 to smuggle them into the United States.
Mexico accuses Texas governor of 'promoting' attacks on migrants
On the other hand, the Mexican Foreign Ministry said in mid-January that the Governor of Texas is endorsing a "violent act" against migrants seeking to reach the United States. Recently, Greg Abbott stated that his administration was taking comprehensive measures to address the immigration crisis, but stopped short of explicitly mentioning "shooting people."
The Ministry urged “respect for human rights” while criticizing “all types of aggressive insinuations against a person's life.”
“Mexico deplores the comments made by Texas Governor Greg Abbot and expresses its deepest concern about any type of expression that encourages violent acts and the dehumanization of the migrant community,” it added.
The statement pertained to a statement Greg Abbott gave on January 5 to radio host Dana Loesch, centering on the migrant crisis. When questioned about whether additional measures could be taken to "protect the border" in his state, the governor responded in the negative.
“We are deploying every tool and strategy that we possibly can. The only thing that we're not doing is we're not shooting people who come across the border, because of course the Biden administration would charge us with murder,” Abbott said.
Read more: GOP military action in Mexico against drug cartels prompts warnings
