EDINBURG, Texas (Border Report) — The union representing the U.S. Border Patrol on Wednesday endorsed Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, who came to this South Texas border city to drum up support for his re-election campaign for a third term.

Cruz delivered a spirited 30-minute speech to hundreds of border patrol agents and their families crowded into the National Border Patrol Council headquarters.

“I’m so proud to be back in the Valley, to be back with so many dear friends. I’m proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with the American heroes gathered here,” Cruz told the crowd. “To have the support of the National Border Patrol Council. This is a big deal because every day, all of you answer the call, every day, you get up and go out and fight to keep this country safe. You fight to keep this country safe from some very dangerous characters, from human traffickers, from drug traffickers, from vicious and violent criminals. And I’m here to tell you – you already know this, but I want you to hear it directly – the people of Texas love you.”

Cruz’s visit to the South Texas border coincided with Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson’s visit to Las Cruces, New Mexico, and a day before former President Donald Trump’s expected visit to the Arizona border on Thursday.

Cruz sharply criticized the Biden administration and especially Vice President Kamala Harris, who is running as the Democratic presidential candidate against Trump.

The crowd booed when her name was mentioned and laughed when Cruz said she had not visited the border since taking office, despite being given the position of “border czar,” as he calls it.

Harris visited Edinburgh as part of her campaign for the vice presidency and was tasked by President Joe Biden to investigate the root causes of illegal immigration, the White House said.

Texas border czar Mike Banks, a retired border patrol agent appointed by Governor Greg Abbott to lead Operation Lone Star, was on hand for the support announcement Wednesday along with his wife, who also works as a border patrol agent.

“There is no more important issue in this election in Texas or across the country than securing our border. And listen, people of South Texas, I’ll tell you something you already know. But what we’re seeing right now is not normal. This is not typical. This is a crisis. It’s a humanitarian crisis. It’s a public health crisis. It’s a public safety crisis and it’s a national security crisis. And I’m telling you, in the entire history of the country, we’ve never had an administration that has done what Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have done,” Cruz said.

When asked by Border Report how he could call the situation the worst ever when migrant encounters at the border in the Rio Grande Valley Sector have dropped over 57% since February and are at their lowest levels since September 2020, Cruz responded, “Joe Biden and Kamala Harris are manipulating the numbers to drop slightly just before Election Day. But since Joe Biden and Kamala Harris took office, 11.5 million people have crossed the border illegally. That’s intentional. They want this invasion and know that if – God forbid – Kamala Harris is elected, the numbers will skyrocket again. The only way to secure the border is to have a president who is willing to enforce the law.”

Cruz used a Spanish swear word in reference to the government towards the crowd, earning cheers from the assembled border guards.

“The political idiots are doing everything they can to make it impossible for you to actually succeed in your job,” he told them.

Referring to his Democratic opponent, U.S. Rep. Colin Allred, Cruz said he voted against a bill that would have imposed stricter laws on those crossing the U.S. border illegally from Mexico, and that he does not support building a border wall.

Cruz recently released a Spanish-language TV commercial based on a Mexican ballad (Corrido) that touts border security and features him with agents.

Allred recently told Border Report that voters need someone in Congress who will vote for immigration reform.

“For 12 years, Ted Cruz has failed to pass any meaningful legislation to improve the situation at the border and improve border security or our immigration system,” Allred told Border Report earlier this month. “He likes to go into our border communities and use them, as if he’s on safari, as I see it, as a political backdrop against which he can point out problems, but then do nothing about them in the Senate.”

National Border Council President Paul Perez says Cruz has visited the South Texas border several times and understands the problems officials face.

“He’s been a strong advocate for us. He’s gone out with the men and women. He’s worked night shifts with us. He knows exactly what we need and he knows how to ensure our security at the border so we can protect everyone at the border,” Perez told Border Report.

The union’s national board, which represents its 14,000 members, voted to support Cruz again this term, Perez said.

Border Report asked Perez why Cruz did not support the Senate’s bipartisan border bill, which would have provided thousands of Border Patrol agents and funding for border communities. Perez responded, “The point is, we’ve been asking for help for three and a half years. We needed a lifeline. What they’ve finally done with this border bill is put it in front of us. We wanted to get support in the House. We had Republicans calling for more additional funding, and we actually wanted to call for something that would actually help us at the border. We don’t think it went far enough.”

The former union president had supported the Senate’s bipartisan border bill.

The Border Patrol Agents Union also supported Cruz during his last election campaign.

Sandra Sanchez can be reached at [email protected].