Ted Cruz on immigration and the economy | Texas: The Issue Is
As Sen. Ted Cruz gets ready for his third term in the U.S. Senate, he shared his goals for the future of Texas and the country.
Cruz joined Texas: The Issue Is to discuss what the future looks like in the US with Republicans in control.
How does life get better for Texans with Republicans in control?
Cruz: "I think there's a clear mandate coming out of this election. Number one, we will secure the border. I think Texans and Americans are fed up with the open borders we've had these past four years. That is going to end and I'm going to predict it's not even going to take a year or six months to secure the border. We will do it in January and February of next year and the new president and new administration comes to office. That will be front and center.
"We will also get the economy moving again. We will get inflation under control. And a critical part of that is extending the tax cuts and making them bigger and bolder."
Cruz said the other issue he's eyeing is what he calls the "war on energy."
"We are going to see Texas leading the world at producing energy and American energy dominance is a big key to job growth in Texas and lowering inflation to everybody," Cruz said.
Mass deportations
Cruz said he believes President-elect Donald Trump will sign a collection of executive orders aimed at limiting immigration.
"I think the Trump administration is going to prioritize the most dangerous illegal immigrants," Cruz said.
Cruz believes that immigration will fall sharply in the new year.
"In terms of long-term reform, I would love to see legal immigration move to more of a skills-based legal immigration system where we lay out skills that we need for the American economy," Cruz said.
Cruz said he believes a long-term solution focused on skilled jobs would benefit the state and the country.
Global conflicts
Cruz said he believes the incoming administration can bring peace and an end to the wars in Ukraine and Israel.
"We have two simultaneous wars happening abroad," Cruz said. "Both of those wars will come to an end in the next year."
Shift in Texas' Latino vote
Cruz said the issue of immigration was a major reason for the shift in the Texas Latino vote.
He said he believes the shift might not be limited to voters, but also elected officials.
"I'm going to make a prediction," Cruz said. "I think in the next two years we will see more than a dozen elected Democrats in south Texas switch to being Republicans."