This is part of a series of profiles on leading candidates of the major parties to be their nominees for the US Presidency. To see the rest of Global Citizen coverage please go here.
Ted Cruz was born in Canada to an American mother and a Cuban father. You might expect someone with this kind of multinational beginning to regard nationality as a fluid and complex concept. But Cruz has campaigned on a much different narrative, one that elevates nationalism over global citizenship. He even renounced his Canadian birthright in 2014.
Cruz is known for his pugnacious style, having been a debate champion throughout his college days. He considers himself a constitutional purist, meaning he thinks the US Constitution has one fixed meaning that must never be crossed. He also believes that government regulation should be minimal.
He gained national recognition when he read Green Eggs and Ham during a Senate filibuster against Obamacare, and drew the wrong conclusions by saying the book shows why he would never try Obamacare (the character in the book hates green eggs and ham until he tries them).
Here are some of Cruz’s views on a few issues that global citizen cares about:
Refugees and immigration
“It makes no sense whatsoever to for us to be bringing in refugees who our intelligence cannot determine if they are terrorists here to kill us or not.”
Ted Cruz is not a fan of refugees. Like his fellow Republican candidate Donald Trump, he thinks they pose a threat to national security. So he has called for additional screening measures for refugees from Syria and Iraq, even though the screening process is notoriously thorough. He also said that only Christians should be admitted from these countries.
Meanwhile, on refugees from Central America--Cruz thinks they should be deported.
'I've Consistently Opposed Amnesty': @tedcruz Sits Down with @megynkellyhttps://t.co/iDNehNrxblpic.twitter.com/J9OckBDP7y
— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 29, 2016When it comes to immigration, Cruz supports immigrants who take the necessary legal steps to become citizens. He does not support immigration reform that would give a path to citizenship to the more than 11 million illegal immigrants in the country. He also wants border security to be strengthened, even though under President Obama deportations have never been higher.
Foreign aid / national security
“We need to stop sending foreign aid to nations that hate us.”
Foreign aid isn’t a primary concern for Ted Cruz. He has called for cuts in aid to “enemy” countries such as Egypt and has called for more aid for Israel. He has, however, advocated to increase aid to Ukraine as the country remains under attack from Russia-backed rebels.
“We need to define the enemy, rebuild the military to defeat the enemy, and we need to be focused and lift the rules of engagement so we’re not sending our fighting men and women into combat with their arms tied behind their back.”
Ted Cruz focuses mostly on ISIS. He wants to “carpet bomb” ISIS and repeatedly calls for “boots on the ground” to defeat the terrorist group. He also thinks that Obama projects weakness and this puts the country at risk.
Attn: Ted Cruz! Carpet bombing is when you bomb hospitals, schools, civilian neighborhoods, everything that moves. It's a war crime.
— Nicholas Kristof (@NickKristof) January 29, 2016Climate change
“Climate change is not science. It’s religion.”
No other issue is as globally agreed upon as climate change. This past December, 195 countries agreed to act to save the environment. Yet, Cruz is against climate action. He has voted against legislation stating that humans contribute significantly to climate change. He has twice voted to kill President Obama’s executive actions on climate change.
AP: "Ted Cruz is decidedly at odds with scientific consensus that Earth is warming because of human activity." https://t.co/yRogQdlzZp
— Sierra Club (@sierraclub) January 24, 2016In the competition to be the Republican Party's nominee for President, Ted Cruz has been gaining on Donald Trump in the polls and he's comfortably ahead of other contenders such Marco Rubio. His brand of anti-Obama conservatism appeals to a lot of prospective voters. But if Cruz makes it to the general election, he'll no longer just be speaking to like-minded people in staunchly conservative circles--the eyes of the world will suddenly be upon him. And under this kind of global scrutiny, he'll have to take a fresh look at a lot of policies. For starters, calls to carpet bomb neighborhoods probably won't win him any respect.
Cruz could learn a few things from the newly elected Prime Minister of his birthplace, Justin Trudeau, whose generosity and compassion have quickly earned him the respect of people everywhere. While US presidential candidates are busy berating one another, Trudeau is improving Canada's reputation as a global citizen.