In a recent statement, Texas Senator Ted Cruz blasted President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party over what he describes as an explosion in illegal crossings at the US southern border. He accused the administration of indirectly bolstering the cartels' illicit activities, claiming they profit immensely under the current policies, while suggesting that the concerns of Americans are being overlooked.

Cruz made the remarks on his podcast, Verdict, with co-host Ben Ferguson while discussing his recent showing at the 2023 Texas Tribune Festival.

Cruz highlighted statistics indicating a surge in illegal border crossings, with an approximate 400% rise since August 2020, with more than 200,000 illegal alien counters in 2021, and nearly a quarter of a million encounters in this year, the Daily Wire reported.

“That same ratio is there every single month, October, November, December, January, February, all the way through, you see numbers that are about a quarter of what they are now, a 4x increase,” Cruz stated. “And that’s what happens when you have open border Democrats who empower the cartels and among other things make billions of dollars for the cartels in human trafficking and drug trafficking not concerning themselves with the death and suffering and misery that results from it.”

Cruz then blasted New York City Mayor Eric Adams for stating that the influx of undocumented migrants was adversely affecting his city. Cruz pointed out that smaller towns in Texas face greater numbers of migrants despite having far fewer resources compared to the US's most populous city.

“Eagle Pass is a small town on the southern border on the Rio Grande River. It has a population of about 28,000 people so it’s a little town. On one single day, last week, more than 4,000 illegal immigrants came into Eagle Pass – on one day. Now 4,000 people in a town of 28,000 people is about 14% of the population. About 14% of the population of the city came illegally into Eagle Pass on one day,” Cruz said.

“What would that be in New York City? New York City has a population of about 9 million people. If 14% of New York City came into New York on one day, that would be 1,260,000 people invading New York on a single day. Mayor Adams says 110,000 people over two and a half years is a crisis destroying the city. Well, how would he feel about 1,260,000 people entering the city on a single day?" he continued, "That’s what Eagle Pass saw on one day last week. And you know what? They saw thousands more the next day and the next day and the next day and the next day. And these Democrats do not give a damn.”