On top of that, the “invasion” rhetoric favored by state GOP officials is getting regurgitated by crazed zealots.
On Monday, the FBI arrested a Tennessee man who allegedly planned to act as a sniper at the southern border. “The patriots are going to rise up because we are being invaded,” he reportedly told an undercover agent, echoing language embraced by top Republicans including Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
Two other men have been arrested as part of the plot to kill immigrants and Border Patrol agents, according to The Texas Tribune.
Immigrant advocacy organization America’s Voice criticized Republican officials on Wednesday for adopting rhetoric that inspires violence.
“Every time an elected official publicly embraces the rhetoric of the replacement and invasion conspiracy, they are contributing to a climate where someone with hate in their heart and a gun in their hand believes they should take matters into their own hands,” Zachary Mueller, political director at America’s Voice, said in a news release. “Moreover, they continue to sow distrust in our democracy.”
Virtually everyone believes that the border is facing a crisis, but Texas politicians can’t seem to agree on how to go about fixing it.
Texas GOP Senators Help Derail Bipartisan Border Bill
Republican U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn have long blasted the Biden administration’s handling of the border. But this week, they’re the ones under fire for helping to kill a bill aimed at patching the problem. Independent U.S. Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona lambasted colleagues who talk a big game but voted to block the bipartisan security bill.
“I have a very clear message for anyone using the southern border for staged political events: Don’t come to Arizona. Take your political theater to Texas,” Sinema said ahead of the vote, according to the Houston Chronicle. “Do not bring it to my state, because in Arizona, we’re serious. We don’t have time for your political games. We’re not interested in you posing for the cameras.”
Hometown papers are not kind to @SenTedCruz and @JohnCornyn for tanking the immigration reform bill: https://t.co/mSMiB46qKg
— Tommy Vietor (@TVietor08) February 8, 2024
Cornyn defended his stance on Tuesday, arguing that the proposal didn’t meet expectations for slashing border crossings and that it would fail to deliver meaningful changes. Cruz, meanwhile, had poo-pooed the idea of bipartisan negotiations and deemed the measure a “steaming pile of crap.”
Yet some critics speculate that the pair cynically chose to rebuff the bill because of this year’s presidential election. The border is a winning issue for Republicans, the theory goes, so improving the situation could potentially boost President Joe Biden’s chances against the GOP nominee, likely former President Donald Trump.
In a viral video posted to X on Sunday, Cruz is shown posing for a picture at the Rio Grande. Detractors have accused the senator of using the border as a photo op.
“This is why they don’t want a border deal,” wrote Ron Filipkowski, editor-in-chief of MeidasTouch.com.
This is why they don’t want a border deal. pic.twitter.com/CC3A5YpBrc
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) February 5, 2024
Democratic Senate Candidates Divided
A trio of Lone Star Democrats supported a Republican-backed resolution last month that condemned Biden’s “open-border policies.” U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, a Dallas Democrat, was among them.Allred, a former NFL linebacker, has since attempted to dodge attacks from either side of the aisle, with Cruz's campaign deriding his vote as a “cowardly flip-flopping strategy.” The Democrat launched a bid for U.S. Senate last year and has been heralded as the frontrunner in the upcoming primary.
Another contender in the race for Congress’ upper chamber, state Sen. Roland Gutierrez, railed against his competition for “sid[ing] with GOP extremists.”
“The Democratic nominee that goes up against Ted Cruz should fight tooth and nail against Trump’s dangerous so-called policies,” the San Antonio Democrat said in a statement. “If our nominee agrees with Trump and Ted Cruz's idea of border security then we're in a hell of a lot of trouble.”
Gutierrez has touted a five-point plan to tend to the ruptured immigration system, that he says will end human trafficking and drug cartels and create a work program for incoming immigrants, among other aims.
Allred argues that the asylum system in the U.S. needs to be improved and that Border Patrol requires support to prevent fentanyl from crossing into the country. He wants to see a pathway to citizenship for law-abiding, hardworking migrants. He also believes it’s crucial to continue border-wall construction.
“Our immigration system is broken, and we need a bipartisan comprehensive reform that includes elements of border security, including physical barriers in some places where necessary,” Allred said, according to The Dallas Morning News.
DeSoto state Rep. Carl Sherman is also running for the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate. He’s proposed working with local law enforcement and elected officials — plus Mexico, Border Patrol and ICE — to address the issue.
Sherman and Gutierrez trailed Allred in a poll released this month, earning 1% and 12% of support from likely Democratic primary voters, respectively, versus Allred’s 40%.
