Just five weeks after rejecting Donald Trump's suggested "deportation force," Sen. Ted Cruz is pledging to round up and deport all 12 million people who are in the U.S. illegally. In an interview Monday night with Fox host Bill O'Reilly, the Texas senator seemingly embraced the idea of using federal resources to search for people in the country illegally to deport them.
"Yes, we should deport them," Cruz said. "We should build a wall, we should triple the Border Patrol. Federal law requires that anyone here illegally that's apprehended should be deported." When O'Reilly pushed Cruz on whether he would actually "go look for them," Cruz responded that "of course you would." "That's what [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] exists for," Cruz said. "We have law enforcement that looks for people who are violating the laws, that apprehends them and deports them."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.
Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.