O’Rourke slams Cruz for video of border visit

Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-Texas) on Friday slammed Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) for videos he posted from the southern border in which he claimed that smugglers were “yelling” at and taunting him. 

In a video posted on Twitter early Friday morning, Cruz is seen in blurry footage saying he is at “the shore of the Rio Grande,” where he and 18 other senators traveled to “see the crisis that is playing out,” referring to a surge in migrants at the southern border in recent weeks. 

Live footage from the banks of the Rio Grande.#BidenBorderCrisis pic.twitter.com/aO4EyANrRQ

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) March 26, 2021

In another video, Cruz claims they “encountered human traffickers” and “cartel members,” across the Rio Grande. 

“That’s Mexico, and you can see there’s three smugglers right there, standing on the Mexico side, looking at us,” Cruz says in the video as blurred figures can be seen moving in the distance. 

“They’ve been shining their flashlights at us, they’re yelling at us,” Cruz adds. 

We encountered human traffickers & cartel members tonight, yelling at us across the Rio Grande and preparing to cross. #BidenBorderCrisis pic.twitter.com/yXl3AyUIPd

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) March 26, 2021

O’Rourke, who unsuccessfully ran against Cruz for his seat in 2018, responded to the videos in a lengthy Twitter thread Friday, writing, “The only threat you face is unarmed children and families who are seeking asylum (as well as the occasional heckler).”

“If you’re looking for a crisis to cosplay Senator for, I’m happy to point you in the right direction,” O’Rourke added. 

The Democrat then went on to outline a series of other issues facing Texans, including telling Cruz, “The state you ‘represent’ in the Senate is the least insured in the nation.” 

“That means your constituents are dying of diabetes, curable cancers and the flu (as well as 50,000 from Covid in the last year alone) because they can’t afford a doctor or medicine,” O’Rourke added. 

“The truth is, the number of individual asylum seekers and immigrants seeking to come to this country is the SAME or LOWER than it was in 2019 when Trump was President (and you were, apparently, Senator),” he wrote in a later tweet.

“This isn’t any more of a crisis today than it was then,” he added. 

The state you “represent” in the Senate is the least insured in the nation.

That means your constituents are dying of diabetes, curable cancers and the flu (as well as 50,000 from Covid in the last year alone) because they can’t afford a doctor or medicine.

— Beto O’Rourke (@BetoORourke) March 26, 2021

The truth is, the number of individual asylum seekers and immigrants seeking to come to this country is the SAME or LOWER than it was in 2019 when Trump was President (and you were, apparently, Senator).

This isn’t any more of a crisis today than it was then.

— Beto O’Rourke (@BetoORourke) March 26, 2021

O’Rourke also responded to an earlier post from the Senate Republicans official Twitter account, which included photos of lawmakers at the border, adding that they were “heckled by cartels.” 

In response, O’Rourke mockingly tweeted, “THANK GOD YOU SURVIVED THE HECKLING!”

THANK GOD YOU SURVIVED THE HECKLING! https://t.co/IT7vQdldWy

— Beto O’Rourke (@BetoORourke) March 26, 2021

The former congressman’s commentary comes as the Biden administration faces bipartisan pressure to address the surge in migrants, especially immigrant children, at the U.S.-Mexico border. 

As of Thursday, the U.S. was in custody of 15,000 unaccompanied minors who have traveled to the U.S. from Mexico or Central America, with many thousands being kept in Customs and Border Protection facilities for longer than the legally allowed 72 hours.