Ted Cruz wants the $14 billion in profits gained from El Chapo to pay for the border wall

Wednesday 13 February 2019 17:30 GMT
El Chapo tearful as he lands in US

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Texan senator Ted Cruz has proposed that the recently convicted Mexican drug lord 'El Chapo' pays for the controversial border wall.

El Chapo, real name Joaquin Guzman, was found guilty on ten counts, including engaging in a criminal enterprise, as reported by CNN.

He is now likely to be handed a mandatory life sentence with prosecutors also hoping to gain a forfeiture judgment on Guzman's $14 billion property which he obtained through trafficking.

In a tweet reacting to Guzman's conviction, Cruz said the money and vast profits that Guzman earned from the drug trade should be used to fund the border wall.

He followed this up with a tweet about the 'El Chapo act' (the Ensuring Lawful Collection of Hidden Assets to Provide Order Act) which he first introduced in April 2017, and then reintroduced in January.

In the tweet, he urged his colleagues in the Senate to pass the legislation.

This will reignite the debate around the border wall funding, which Donald Trump will need to secure a deal on by 11:59 pm on Friday, to prevent another government shutdown.

However, Cruz's proposals haven't gone down too well on Twitter, with many pointing out that a wall wouldn't have stopped El Chapo's drugs so it doesn't make much sense as to why he would pay for it.

HT CNN


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