Build The Wall? Sen. Cruz Wants To Use El Chapo’s Money On Border
Feb 13, 2019, 7:47 AM
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – While lawmakers in Washington, D.C., are squabbling over money being spent on the border, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, has renewed his own years-old plan to pay for the wall.
In 2017, the conservative politician introduced the El Chapo Act, which would reserve billions of dollars in potential assets forfeited as a result of the prosecution of Joaquin Archivaldo Guzman, also known as El Chapo.
He was tried and found guilty of 10 federal crimes that carry a mandatory term of life in prison. Guzman is set to be sentenced June 25.
The act would also seize money from other drug lords to pay for border security.
After Guzman was found guilty on all counts Tuesday, Cruz tweeted, “Let’s pass the EL CHAPO Act and make El Chapo pay to secure our border.”
Let's pass the EL CHAPO Act and make El Chapo pay to secure our border: https://t.co/xBCc6dVaR2
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) February 12, 2019
The tweet was accompanied with a link to a two-sentence petition that states: “Build the wall and make El Chapo pay for it! Become a Citizen Cosponsor of Ted Cruz’s EL CHAPO Act and make your voice heard in the Senate.”
According to CNN, Guzman pocketed approximately $14 billion during his decades-long stint as the head of the Sinaloa cartel. Federal prosecutors said they are going to seek a forfeiture judgment for the money and assets accumulated through Guzman’s illegal drug-trafficking.
