Allred Accuses Cruz of Voting for Fentanyl by not Backing the Border Bill, Cruz Calls Him Desperate

The southern border and the “fentanyl crisis” have been major concerns in the 2024 election. Texas Rep. Colin Allred (D) suggests that people view the issue incorrectly. Noting that the fentanyl crisis stems from issues with the “ports of entry,” he argues that the United States must use technology to combat the growing crisis. Shared that the senate border bill contained funding for said technology, and accused Texas Senator Ted Cruz (R) of “voting for fentanyl” by voting against the bill.

In an excerpt from an interview with the Texas Tribune that Rep. Allred shared on social media, the senatorial hopeful said that the United States must invest in the necessary technology to combat the opioid crisis. The Deploy Fentanyl Scanners Act of 2024, introduced by Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff (D), aimed to "deploy scanners at ports of entry to better identify contraband, including fentanyl, being smuggled across the border through personal vehicles."

If the Democratic congressman wins the election in November, he vows to “work with both parties to crack down on the cartels and keep fentanyl off our streets.”

In the interview, Rep. Allred assured that he will be “tough on fentanyl,” suggesting that Senator Cruz has disappointed Texans on the issue. “You have to... make the investments in the technology that will help us detect it, and so when Ted Cruz voted against that, he was voting for fentanyl in our state,” Rep. Allred claimed.

Texas Politics spoke to Senator Cruz for a response to Congressman Allred's comments, and Senator Cruz attributed the comments to Rep. Allred "desperately trying to cover up his disastrous open borders record."

Senator Cruz added that Rep. Allred has been a staunch support of "open border" policies.

"He has voted against the border wall three separate time, and in fact, if you believe border security is important, Congressman Allred says you are a racist," said Sen. Cruz.

"He refers to the border wall as 'that racist border wall,' and he has pledged to personally tear down 'that racist border wall.' Ironically, Congressman Allred right now is spending millions of dollars running tv ads, running footage with him standing in front of 'that racist border wall.' That's how desperate he is to pretend his record is the opposite of what it is," Senator Cruz commented.

Calling Rep. Allred's voting record "disastrous," Senator Cruz added that Rep. Allred's "first four years in Congress, he voted with Nancy Pelosi 100% of the time. He did not deviate on a single vote."

"You want to understand how extreme Congressman Allred's record is on the border? Take a look at his vote on the Police Act," he noted.

"The Police Act concerned whether an illegal immigrant who violently assaults a police officer should be deported. Congressman Allred voted no. I gotta tell ya... you can get 100% Texans, give me all Democrats in any town in Texas, and if you ask them, 'an illegal alien who beats up a cop, should he be deported?' Everyone with any sense at all would say of course. Congressman Allred voted no, so he's desperately trying to erase that record," Senator Cruz explained.

Responding to his own vote against the "Chuck Schumer border bill," Senator Cruz explained that the bill "was a disaster." "It was designed to make the problem worse."

"Under the Chuck Schumer border bill, it codified and put into federal law 'catch & release,' the 'open border' policy that caused this crisis. It gave immediate work permits to illegal aliens who crossed the border illegally. It gave taxpayer funded attorneys to illegal aliens who came into this country. It gave billions of dollars to sanctuary cities and to the NGOs that actively assist the traffickers. It went out of its way to screw the state of Texas by saying that Texas had to file any lawsuits on immigration not in Texas federal courts, but in the very liberal DC federal courts, and it normalized 5,000 illegal immigrants a day. That's 1.8 million illegal immigrants a year every year into perpetuity. Ask Chris Murphy, who was the lead negotiator for Chuck Schumer, said, 'under this bill, the border never closes,'" he detailed. "Of course Congressman Allred supports the bill because it keeps the 'open border' invasion forever, and it keeps the fentanyl invasion forever."

The Texas Senator then suggested that if the congressman cares about securing the border, he could've voted for H.R. 2., which Senator Cruz authored. Calling it "the toughest border security legislation that has ever been put forth," he lamented that "Congressman Allred voted no."

"His 'open border' record is a train wreck, which is why he's desperately trying to run away from it."