Texas Senator Ted Cruz has accused Vice President Kamala Harris of potentially doubling the number of undocumented immigrants entering the U.S. if she becomes president. Cruz made the statement during the latest episode of his Verdict podcast, continuing the ongoing debate over immigration, which remains a top concern in the 2024 presidential race.
In a recent poll, immigration ranked just behind the economy as voters’ primary issue. While Harris has taken a firmer stance on border security, blaming former President Trump for the collapse of a bipartisan bill she believes could have secured the southern border, many voters appear to favor Trump’s policies and record on immigration.
Cruz warned that if Harris were to win, the number of undocumented immigrants entering the U.S. would surge. “If Kamala wins, God help us, the numbers will skyrocket,” Cruz said. “We’ve already seen 11.5 million people in the last four years. If she’s president for another four years, that number could reach 25 or 30 million. Their goal is to flood this country with what they see as future Democratic voters.”
Newsweek reached out to Harris’ campaign for a response, but did not receive an immediate reply.
Cruz, who is currently campaigning for reelection against Democrat Colin Allred, has previously made similar claims about immigration. He noted during a speech at the Republican National Convention in July that “11.5 million people have crossed our border illegally under Joe Biden.” However, Newsweek has reported that this number is misleading, as it reflects the total number of migrant encounters recorded by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, not the number of individuals who illegally entered the U.S. in that time.
For context, Pew Research Center estimated in 2022 that about 11 million undocumented migrants were living in the U.S. at that time, based on data from the American Community Survey.
Cruz also compared Harris’ approach to immigration with that of Trump, asserting that the former president would take swift action to secure the border. “This is not going to take a year, I don’t even think it will take six months,” Cruz said, adding that Trump would begin enforcing border security measures as soon as he took office.
One of Trump’s key proposals, Cruz said, would be ending “catch and release”—a policy where certain immigrants are released into the U.S. while they await their immigration hearings. Cruz argued that ending this practice would cause illegal border crossings to “plummet.”
“The most important factor in illegal immigration is simple: what happens when an illegal immigrant is caught?” Cruz said. “If the answer is they’re put on a plane and sent home, the numbers will drop dramatically.”
The ongoing debate about immigration continues to shape the 2024 election, with both parties emphasizing the issue as a critical part of their platforms.
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