Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, condemned the shooting at an ICE facility in Dallas on Wednesday, warning against the dangers of escalating political rhetoric.
“Violence is wrong. Politically motivated violence is wrong,” Cruz said. He linked the attack to a troubling trend, noting, “It was two weeks ago today that we saw a political assassination in Utah that tore the heart out of much of this country,” referring to the Sept. 10 killing of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University.
Cruz stressed that this was not an isolated incident. “This is the third shooting in Texas directed at ICE or CBP. This must stop.” He directly called out politicians he believes are fueling the tension. “To every politician who is using rhetoric, demonizing ICE and demonizing CBP – stop. To every politician demanding that ICE agents be doxed and calling for people to go after their families – stop.”
The Texas senator said that while Americans can and should disagree politically, crossing into violent territory endangers the entire country. “Look, in America, we disagree. That’s fine. That’s the democratic process. But your political opponents are not Nazis. We need to learn to work together without demonizing each other, without attacking each other.”
Cruz ended his remarks by thanking law enforcement and border officers who, he said, continue to put their lives on the line despite the rising hostility. “I want to say thank you to the brave men and women of law enforcement. I want to say thank you to the brave men and women of ICE and CBP, and everyone who puts their lives on the line to keep us safe. The divisive rhetoric, tragically, has real consequences.”