Cruz floats Sessions for Secretary of Homeland Security: ‘He would build the wall himself!’

Yellow Hammer News ^ | 12/19/15 | Cliff Simms

[VinL]

During a weekend campaign stop in south Alabama, Republican senator and presidential hopeful Ted Cruz said he had "three words" for people questioning whether the southern border can be secured: "Secretary Jeff Sessions."

"We are going to deport criminal illegal aliens, we are going to pass Kate's Law [mandatory minimum sentences for illegal immigrants who are deported but later return to the U.S.], we are going to end welfare benefits for those here illegally," Cruz told a raucous crowd of over 1,300 Alabamians. "For anyone who wonders, 'Can we really secure the border?' I've got three words for you: Secretary Jeff Sessions! You want to talk about a homeland security secretary who would go down and build the wall himself!"

Cruz is in the middle of a campaign swing through several southern states, seeking to lock up conservatives support in the southeast where many voters will head to the polls for the so called SEC Primary on March 1st.

What a Ted Cruz event looks like when conservatives unite. This was earlier today in Alabama. pic.twitter.com/3IywQ6U0sg Rick Tyler (@rickwtyler) December 19, 2015

Cruz’s record on immigration has been under attack in recent days after rival candidate Marco Rubio criticized him for offering an amendment during debate over the Gang of Eight immigration bill that would have granted legal status, but remove the possibility of citizenship, to individuals in the country illegally. Rubio said the amendment was proof that Cruz supported “legalizing people who are in this country illegally."

Cruz says now the amendment was meant as a "poison pill" to kill the whole package, or at the very least as a way to expose that what Democrats really wanted was not to “bring people out of the shadows,” as they often claimed, but rather to grant citizenship to millions of future Democratic voters. By removing citizenship from the equation, Cruz allies said he was exposing Democrats’ true motives.

The media have seized on the disagreement and pressed Cruz on the issue in numerous interviews over the past week, but Senator Sessions, whose credibility on the immigration issue is unquestioned among the conservative base, has repeatedly come to Cruz’s defense.

"One of the things you've been hearing about is criticism of Ted and what he did with regard to the massive immigration bill they tried to ram through in 2013,” Sessions told the crowd on Saturday. "Let me tell you, I was there every step of the way. Ted Cruz was on my side, he fought this legislation all the way through."

[demshateGod]

It doesn’t matter how often Trump supporters imagine that, it never becomes true.

[demshateGod]

Cruz is smart. He knows the real power in this country is the regulatory state, the technocrats, etc. We need to start undoing all of that or legislation is worthless. Besides, no good legislation will come out of the senate.

[demshateGod]

They are both entertainers.

[Jane Austen]

Good choice.

[NKP_Vet]

Well he damn sure don’t talk about a wall. Not wanting to “offend” anyone and pleasing all sides is a characteristic of Cruz.

[Carry_Okie]

Well he damn sure don't talk about a wall.

Sorry, that's not true at all. Looks to me like you don't read what he published:

1. Secure the Border

A Cruz Administration's first priority for immigration reform will be to secure the U.S.-Mexico border. It is a travesty that the greatest nation in the world refuses to take even the most basic steps to prevent illegal immigrants from breaching its southern border. The porous border invites illegal crossings, exposes millions of American citizens to crime and economic harm, endangers the lives of those who make the treacherous journey at the mercy of cartels and coyotes, and represents perhaps the United States' single greatest national security vulnerability in the post-9/11 era.

To regain control of our border, a Cruz Administration will:

• Build a wall that works. The unsecured border with Mexico invites illegal immigrants, criminals, and terrorists to tread on American soil. Millions of people from all over the world, including from hostile nations and terrorist havens, have been apprehended at our southern border - and many who make it through are never caught. This is a failure of the highest order. I will fulfill the promise Congress made to the American people almost 10 years ago by completing all 700 miles of priority fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border, and dedicate the resources necessary to replace all single-layer fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border to build a fence that keeps people out and that is technology-supported and law enforcement-accessible. If other nations, such as Israel, can build an effective border wall, the United States certainly can.
• Triple the number of Border Patrol agents. Since the federal government is primarily responsible for securing the border, we must allocate sufficient human resources for the task. In 2013, I introduced legislation to triple the number of Border Patrol agents along the U.S.-Mexico border. When Congress sends me this bill, I will sign it and make more boots on the ground a reality.
• Increase vital aerial surveillance. Adding boots on the ground is not enough. To truly protect our southern border, the men and women who serve in the Border Patrol need eyes in the sky, both to help them function more efficiently and to avoid being harmed by those who mean them harm. In 2013, I introduced legislation to increase fourfold the number of fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft that are deployed to the border to ensure valuable reconnaissance and protection for our Border Patrol. I will continue to press for this to become law.
• Provide additional equipment and technology along the border. Improved technology has a tremendous impact on border security. Increasing the number of cameras, sensors, and monitors will allow Border Patrol to surveil the border continuously and identify and apprehend illegal entrants efficiently and safely. In 2013, I introduced legislation to increase the amount of state-of-the-art technology available for border security, and as President, will deliver on this commitment.
• Finish the biometric tracking system at our nation’s ports of entry. Amazon and FedEx can track packages around the world with down-to-the-minute precision. Google can provide street-view maps of almost any address in the country. It is unacceptable that our federal government cannot keep track of the foreign nationals who have entered the United States, particularly when millions of illegal immigrants currently in the United States entered legally but overstayed their visas – as several of the 9/11 hijackers had done.
   
  It is past time for the federal government to fully implement a biometric tracking system so that we have full awareness of who is on American soil at all times. Since 1996, Congress has "required" full implementation of an entry-exit system at all of our ports of entry, yet multiple administrations, both Democrat and Republican, have refused to follow that law. In the first 100 days of a Cruz Administration, those who have broken the law will be held accountable, regulations that stand in the way of finishing the system will be eliminated, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will complete implementation by the end of my first year in office.

• Hold DHS accountable to the American people. Under the Obama Administration, DHS has failed to perform core national security tasks. The Department of Homeland Security must be able to fulfill its obligation to American citizens, and its officials must be held accountable. I will:
  • Hire the right people: Appoint a no-nonsense, security-focused leader as Secretary of Homeland Security, and instruct the Secretary to transfer DHS personnel and resources as needed to best protect the American people.
  • Let them do their jobs: Empower the Secretary to remove DHS employees who refuse to abide by the law, and replace them with dedicated men and women committed to securing our nation. Bureaucratic failure and willful ignorance of the law will no longer be an option.
  • Work with the states: Reverse the Obama Administration's policy of preventing state and local governments from participating in immigration enforcement, and instead partner with the states so they can assist with immigration enforcement and border security. Increase the number of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to ensure that ICE has the manpower to support state and local enforcement efforts. And fully fund the State Criminal Alien Assistance Program to help finance the efforts of local governments actively assisting in the enforcement of federal immigration laws.

So, now you have it in writing.

[Protect the Bill of Rights]

Sessions is our voice in the Wilderness.

[Lucky9teen]