Death to sex traffickers!

Recently I visited our southern border amid the massive surge of illegal immigrants pouring into Texas. I witnessed firsthand the Biden administration’s failed open-border policies that have resulted in spikes of illegal contraband pouring into Texas, including an alarming increase in fentanyl.

Because of the border, Texas ranks second in the nation in sex trafficking. Most trafficking victims are girls between the ages of 12 and 14. Unknown dangerous criminals have been streaming into the United States, and with the recent terrorist attacks on Israel, this fact should make our nation even more alarmed.

To address this colossal failure by our federal government, I am proposing legislation that will make sex trafficking a child a death-penalty offense in Texas. I am also calling upon the federal government to deploy United States special forces to Mexico to fight the cartels directly.

Texas has an unwavering commitment to secure our border in the face of Washington’s failures. The Texas legislature has appropriated over $12 billion to deploy thousands of Texas Troopers and National Guardsmen to our southern border to fight illegal immigration. We are even building portions of the wall, and Texas has successfully transported more than 60,000 migrants to Democratic-led jurisdictions that claim to be “sanctuary cities.” We continue to prioritize the safety and security of all Texans.

Even with these extraordinary efforts by our state, more needs to be done. Cartels control the northern portion of Mexico and are a clear and present danger to America. They have mutated from organizations focused on the sale of drugs to more lucrative lines of work such as the trafficking of people.

Last session, I passed legislation to make sex traffickers of children ineligible for parole to help address this problem. I am now working on legislation to make sex trafficking a capital offense in the Lone Star State. I believe sex traffickers deserve the penalty of death.

Additionally, the federal government needs to again prioritize the safety and security of all Americans by deploying United States special forces into Mexico to take on the cartels directly.

The Mexican cartels have operational control of the border. America has taken this type of action before. Years ago, drug cartels ruled much of Colombia, paying off local officials and law enforcement and relying on campaigns of terror and intimidation. In response, America sent special operations forces into Colombia and participated in the killing of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar. Osama bin Laden was killed by U.S. special forces in Pakistan in an operation involving two dozen Navy SEALs in two Black Hawk helicopters, without the knowledge or the approval of Pakistan.

As a state, Texas is doing all it can to help secure the border and fight illegal immigration. I believe my efforts to fight sex trafficking have and will continue to have an impact. But we can’t do it all on our own. The federal government must take its responsibility for border control and the prevention of illegal immigration seriously again. Joe Biden’s neglect of the border has made the situation dire; therefore, aggressive measures such as engaging U.S. special forces are now necessary.

When Biden served in the U.S. Senate, he criticized then-President George H.W. Bush for not being tough enough on drugs and called for greater law enforcement action. Now, I am requesting that President Biden take similar action against the Mexican cartels on our southern border.