Texas Senator Ted Cruz argued during a Friday appearance on Fox News that transporting migrants across state lines could be illegal — yet still praised the recent actions of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis of sending migrants to Martha’s Vineyard and advocated for more similar moves.
Cruz, who is a lawyer and graduate of Harvard Law School, was asked by Fox News host Sean Hannity on Friday to weigh in on the situation “from a legal standpoint.”
“Let’s say I went down to the border and I brought a big truck with me, and I picked up a bunch of illegal immigrants, and I started transporting them across the country,” Hannity said. “Would I or would I not likely be arrested for human trafficking and would it be illegal to do that for me, if I did that?”
Cruz was clear in his response: “For you, a citizen, you could easily be arrested. Although, to be honest, Joe Biden’s Justice Department wouldn’t arrest you.”
The senator added that the law “is clear” on the matter, before peculiarly accusing President Biden of being “the biggest human trafficker on the face of the planet.”
Earlier this week, Florida Governor DeSantis took responsibility for two planes from San Antonio, Texas, that were full of migrants, which touched down in Martha’s Vineyard. The move has drawn heavy criticism from late-night hosts like Trevor Noah and Stephen Colbert, as well as legal experts and celebrities.
This isn’t the first time a Republican lawmaker has done so. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has been busing migrants to Washington, D.C. for months.
According to legal experts who spoke with The Washington Post, the law isn’t quite as clear as Cruz makes it out to be. If the migrants willingly chose to be transported to these cities, then it can’t necessarily be likened to human trafficking.
Border patrol officials are able to transport migrants, noted Bridgette Carr, a law professor at the University of Michigan. She added: “I would be curious if that immunity extends beyond federal officials, since immigration is generally a power the feds regulate exclusively.”
