Ted Cruz Revives ‘EL CHAPO’ Bill to Pay for Border Wall

Following the conviction of Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman in a New York federal court on Tuesday, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) revived his call to pay for border wall construction with the assets seized from drug traffickers. The Texas senator first introduced the “EL CHAPO” Act in 2017.

“America’s justice system prevailed today in convicting Joaquín Guzmán Loera, aka El Chapo, on all 10 counts,” Senator Cruz said in a tweet on Tuesday. He said that prosecutors are seeking the seizure of $14 billion in “drug profits and other assets” from the jailed drug lord and that those funds should go toward building the border wall.

America’s justice system prevailed today in convicting Joaquín Guzmán Loera, aka El Chapo, on all 10 counts. U.S. prosecutors are seeking $14 billion in drug profits & other assets from El Chapo which should go towards funding our wall to #SecureTheBorder. https://t.co/hPwEUVM6SP

— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) February 12, 2019

Cruz introduced the Ensuring Lawful Collection of Hidden Assets to Provide Order (EL CHAPO) Act in April 2017, Breitbart News reported.

“The U.S. Government is currently seeking the criminal forfeiture of more than $14 billion in drug proceeds and illicit profits from El Chapo, the former leader of the Sinaloa drug cartel who was recently extradited to the U.S. to face criminal prosecution for numerous alleged drug-related crimes, including conspiracy to commit murder and money laundering,” the senator said at the time.

Shortly after that, Senator Cruz launched a petition to garner support for the idea that would take proceeds seized from Mexican drug traffickers and utilize them to pay for additional border security.

On Tuesday, Cruz also tweeted a message to his fellow senators that it is time to take action to pass this legislation.

It’s time to pass my EL CHAPO Act. I urge my Senate colleagues to take swift action on this crucial legislation. #SecureTheBorder –> https://t.co/SndC56CiYz pic.twitter.com/5LgBuBSE26

— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) February 12, 2019

In an effort to avoid another government shutdown, Congress passed a spending bill that includes $1.4 billion for “border barriers.” This would include 55 miles of new fencing in the Rio Grande Valley Sector.

If passed by Congress, Cruz’s “EL CHAPO” Act could provide the resources requested by President Trump without additional taxpayer-funds.

Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for the Breitbart Border team. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX and Facebook.