Sen. Cruz Blocks Bill that Would Create TPS Pipeline from H.K.

Late last Friday, Texas Senator Ted Cruz blocked a current bill that would effectively create an asylum pipeline for millions of Hong Kong citizens to come to the U.S. under Temporary Protection Status.

Sen. Cruz prudently stated that the legislation while helping some refugees flee persecution would pose a grave national security risk by allowing the Chinese Communist Party to exploit the system and insert spies and other communist actors into the U.S. population.

Cruz added that the legislation was part of a current political and big business movement to open U.S. borders, flood the already loose labor market, and would be used “to advance their long-standing goals on changing immigration laws.”

The South China Morning Post reported on a Cruz speech on the Senate floor to block the bill. SCMP also noted that refugees from Hong Kong would face background checks, as reported by Breitbart News.

Led by Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Democrats had hoped to squeeze the bill through by a mechanism known as “unanimous consent”, where time-consuming votes are dispensed with to expedite the passage of typically non-controversial bills. Any senator can stand to object to the motion.

With Senators soon to leave Washington for the winter break, Cruz’s objection makes it all but certain that the bill will not pass the Senate in time to be sent to the White House before Congress goes on recess, and will have to be reintroduced in January.

Joey Siu, an activist who recently testified before the Senate on Hong Kong, said he hoped an administration led by Joe Biden, who has promised to enshrine open border policies as president, will revive the bill in the New Year.

Meanwhile, Cruz has joined other Republicans and even some Democrats in advocating for the U.S. to take a much stronger stand against China and its aggressive policies around the globe.

For the complete story, please visit Breitbart News.