Ted Cruz: Make El Chapo fund the US-Mexico wall!

Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has introduced legislation to make an infamous Mexican criminal pay for part of the wall on the southern border. And it’s a really good idea.

The Ensuring Lawful Collection of Hidden Assets to Provide Order Act, or “EL CHAPO Act,” will reserve “any amounts forfeited to the United States Government as a result of the criminal prosecution of Joaquin Archivaldo Guzman Loera (commonly known as ‘El Chapo’) for the completion of the wall along the Southern border.”

El Chapo, the former leader of the Sinaloa drug cartel, was recently extradited to the U.S. for criminal prosecution on various drug-related charges. According to Sen. Cruz, the U.S. government is currently seeking the criminal forfeiture of more than $14 billion in drug proceeds from El Chapo’s alleged criminal activity.

Fourteen billion dollars will go a long way toward building a wall that will help keep Americans safe: https://t.co/6GOMaxrCBI

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) April 25, 2017

Cruz continues in a press release: “Ensuring the safety and security of Texans is one of my top priorities. We must also be mindful of the impact on the federal budget.”

Estimates from the Department of Homeland Security put the cost of a physical barrier on the U.S.—Mexico border at $21.6 billion and say it will take 3.5 years to build. Though the president insists it can be built for much less, members of Congress have balked at the cost and erefused to put funding for the wall in the upcoming budget.

Using El Chapo’s $14 billion assets would pay for two-thirds of the wall’s cost.

“By leveraging any criminally forfeited assets of El Chapo and his ilk, we can offset the wall’s cost and make meaningful progress toward achieving President Trump’s stated border security objectives,” Cruz said.

This is a no-brainer for a Republican controlled Congress. The policy would be in sync with President Trump’s repeated promise to make Mexico — in this case a Mexican criminal — pay for the wall.

Build the wall and make El Chapo pay for it: https://t.co/6GOMaxrCBI pic.twitter.com/Eu5xUErI6g

— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) April 25, 2017

Failure to move on Cruz’s bill would be moronic. But this is the GOP we’re talking about.