Amid the Israeli-Hamas war, Texas Senator Ted Cruz criticized Democratic states on Monday for not prosecuting pro-Palestinian protesters.
Democratic Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg last week dropped charges against dozens of pro-Palestinian protesters who in April barricaded themselves inside a building at Columbia University in New York City. Doug Cohen, district attorney spokesman, said the charges were dropped against 32 people due to lack of evidence in identifying the suspects.
Charges against another 13 defendants remain active after they refused to accept a deal that would have seen the charges dropped if they were not arrested for any other reason during a six-month period. Criminal mischief and arson charges also stick for one suspect who is not affiliated with Columbia.
On Monday, Cruz took to his podcast Verdict to condemn Bragg's decision and take aim at other Democratic states as he blamed elected Democrats for not prosecuting the protesters.
Newsweek has reached out to Cruz and Bragg's offices via email for comment on Monday.
"There are consequences when you elect Democrats. I will say one of the talking points you see among some Democrats is, 'well, it's terrible what's happening on campuses, but there is nothing we can do about it,' and let's be clear. This is happening in New York, this is happening in Connecticut, this is happening in Pennsylvania, this is happening in New Jersey, this is happening in Massachusetts, this is happening in Illinois, this is happening in Washington state, this is happening in California. This happens in blue states that elect Democrats and put Democrats in charge."
Cruz continued, saying that in GOP-led states, Republicans will have protesters arrested and prosecuted.
"The Democrats you elected and put in charge, they support the radicals and they refuse to prosecute them. You know what, you do that in Texas, you do that in Florida, you do that in Georgia, you do that in Alabama, you will be arrested and you will be prosecuted. There is a consequence if you elect Republicans who actually believe in prosecuting criminals," Cruz added.
College students across the country have been at the forefront of pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian protests since the Israel-Hamas war began. On October 7, Hamas, a Palestinian militant group, led its deadliest attack on Israel in history. Israel subsequently launched its heaviest airstrikes against Gaza. At least 1,200 Israelis were killed in the initial attack by Hamas, while more than 37,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, per the Gaza Health Ministry, according to the Associated Press.
Protesters have called for a lasting ceasefire amid the rising death toll in Gaza, particularly among civilians.
In late April, protesters gathered in Cruz's state, at the University of Texas at Austin, to set up an encampment in protest of the ongoing war and demand that the college divest from businesses affiliated with Israel, following similar protests at Columbia and elsewhere.
During the first protest on the Austin campus, in which demonstrators were met with local law enforcement and Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) officers, at least 57 people, including one journalist, were arrested, accused of criminal trespassing. The Travis County Attorney's Office, however, dropped all charges due to a lack of probable cause.
At the City College of New York, Bragg's office has dropped felony burglary charges against seven students and staffers, but 10 other cases involving suspects from the same protest are still proceeding. The remaining cases involve more serious misdemeanor and felony charges.
Cohen noted the ongoing cases, as he previously said in an email to Newsweek that Bragg was "continuing to pursue cases" stemming from Columbia and City College of New York protests, "including all assaults against police officers."
During an April 24 protest at the University of Southern California, 93 individuals were arrested, primarily accused of trespassing. These cases have also not been dismissed.
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Natalie Venegas is a Weekend Reporter at Newsweek based in New York. Her focus is reporting on education, social justice ... Read more
