Ted Cruz Slammed by Texas Sheriffs Over Border: 'Has No Clue'

Texas Senator Ted Cruz has been criticized over his border policies by a number of law enforcement personnel in a new campaign video released by Democratic Representative Colin Allred, who is hoping to take the Republican's seat this November.

In the 30-second clip, one sheriff branded Cruz "all hat and no cattle," while a constable suggested the senator should have backed a bipartisan border security bill supported by President Joe Biden earlier this year.

Illegal immigration into the United States surged during the first half of Biden's presidency, though numbers have since been reduced. In 2022, there were 1,399,790 interactions between law enforcement in Texas and suspected illegal migrants, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data, up from 1,115,906 the previous year.

According to provisional Customs and Border Protection data obtained by CBS News, 84,000 migrants crossed the southern U.S. border illegally in June, the lowest figure since January 2021.

On Monday, Allred's Senate campaign released a video featuring six uniformed law enforcement personnel alongside their candidate. Two of the personnel spoke to condemn Cruz's migration policies.

"When it comes to the border, Ted Cruz is all hat and no cattle," Sheriff Oscar Carrillo, from Culberson County, said in the video.

"Colin Allred is tough. He's standing up to extremists in both parties."

At this point, a second uniformed sheriff added: "Both parties."

A narrator said "when there was actually a good plan," after which Constable Oscar Ugarte, from El Paso County, added, "backed by sheriffs and border officers" before the initial voice continued, "Republicans and Democrats. Ted Cruz said, 'We don't need a border bill.'"

The latter quote was made by Cruz in late January, according to The Washington Post.

Referring to Cruz, Ugarte added: "Twelve years in the Senate, and he still has no clue."

The video ended with Allred standing alongside six uniformed law enforcement personnel. "We don't need talk on the border; we need action," Allred said.

Newsweek reached out to Cruz's office for comment via email on Tuesday outside of usual business hours.

Earlier this year, a bipartisan Senate group backed by Biden published a $118 billion border security bill aimed at decreasing illegal immigration and providing military aid to American allies Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. Under its terms, the government would be allowed to close the border should the seven-day rolling average of illegal migrant encounters hit 5,000 or if there were 8,500 such encounters in one day.

An additional $20 billion would have been provided for immigration enforcement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention capacity increased from 34,000 to 50,000. However, the legislation failed in the face of staunch opposition from Republicans in the House and some in the Senate, who argued it didn't go far enough in combating illegal migration.

Illegal migration from Mexico into Texas has caused a surge in tensions this year between Texas Governor Greg Abbott and federal authorities. In January, the Supreme Court backed the Biden administration and ordered the removal of razor wire installed along the border on Abbott's orders, sparking a furious response from Texas Republicans.

Since 2021, Abbott has deployed thousands of Texas National Guard soldiers and law enforcement along the state's border with Mexico as part of Operation Lone Star to discourage illegal migration. They have deployed large quantities of razor wire and other physical obstacles and placed buoys in the Rio Grande to prevent unauthorized crossings.