As anti-Israel protestors continue to harass a Hispanic U.S. senator in Texas, polls show Hispanic Americans support Israel, and Hispanic Texans are leaning more Republican, fed up with high inflationary costs and “open border policies” of the current administration.
Flag Day, June 14, was the 23rd time since Feb. 10 that anti-Israel protestors descended outside of the home of U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican and Cuban American who lives with his family in the River Oaks neighborhood of Houston.
Nearly all protestors were wearing masks and facial coverings; some were chanting “free Palestine” and other slogans, ringing cow bells, and holding signs reading, “No rest for the wicked, Ted,” “Ted Cruz, we know you’re AIPAC bought,” and “Israel bombs playgrounds.”
On Friday, Sen. Cruz posted a video of them on social media stating, “For the past six months, anti-Israel protestors have come to my home just about every Sat morning at 7 am and most Fri nights until 10 or 11 pm. They scream, disturb the peace & wake the neighbors. No matter how much these antisemites cheer Hamas, I will stand with Israel.”
Many anti-Israel protestors continue to deny or justify the acts of the Islamic terrorist group Hamas when its members killed more than 1,200 people in Israel and took roughly 250 people hostage on Oct. 7. Many argue Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians and student protestors chanting, “death to Jews” and calling for the destruction of Israel are exercising “free speech,”according to a recent lawsuit.
Jewish groups that sued Muslim student groups last month argue they are knowingly providing “continuous, systematic, and substantial assistance to Hamas and its affiliates’ acts of international terrorism,” The Center Square reported. Gov. Greg Abbott, Sen. Cruz and others have argued that hate speech and threatening to kill Jews isn’t protected speech.
Cruz began posting videos of the anti-Israel protestors clamoring outside of his home in February. He said they “have come to my house early in the morning, waking up the neighbors & harassing my family. None expressed concern about Hamas’ Oct 7 murder of over 1200 or mass rapes of women & children. I’m proud to stand with Israel.”
Cruz is not the only member of Congress to be targeted in Texas. Last November, another Hispanic Republican in Texas’ Congressional delegation, U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz, was targeted, The Center Square reported. Her McAllen office was vandalized twice by pro-Hamas activists after she expressed support for Israel. Spray painted messages in red paint read, “Israel kills Jews too,” “Monica murders,” and “You can’t escape your crimes Monica.”
In response, she said: “Let me be crystal clear: These acts of vandalism will never intimidate me, silence me, or stop me from opposing antisemitism and supporting Israel’s right to defend itself.”
Cruz and De La Cruz appear to be the only members of Congress in Texas targeted by anti-Israel protestors. Both are proud of their Hispanic heritage and claim to be conservative Christians, also arguing conservative values better represent the Hispanic community in Texas. Hispanic Texans are put off by the far-left progressive agenda of the Democratic Party, including transgender policies that threaten biological girls, defunding the police, opening the border, the anti-Israel agenda, among others, they argue.
In January, more than a dozen Hispanic Christian organizations representing millions of followers, including in Texas, expressed their support for Israel and the Jewish community. Hispanics, including immigrants, have strongly supported Israel for decades, according to the National Latino Evangelical Coalition, Axios reported.
Cruz and De La Cruz have helped encourage a trend of Hispanic voters and officials shifting right politically. Since 2018, more local officials have left the Democratic Party to become Republicans, The Center Square reported. Earlier this year, a new coalition, Democrats for Cruz, launched, arguing the Democratic Party of Texas “has abandoned Texas.”
The coalition of Texans who historically voted Democrat and are now voting for Cruz, support Israel, law enforcement, securing the border, protecting the Texas oil and natural gas industry, among other issues, according to a recent announcement.
Cruz was first elected to the U.S. Senate in 2012, won reelection in 2016 and 2020, and is leading his current challenger in the polls in his third reelection bid.
De La Cruz has helped turn precincts Republican in the Rio Grande Valley. She was elected to Congress in November 2022, winning 53% of the vote, making history in her south Texas border district. She’s running for reelection against the Democrat she defeated in 2022.
De La Cruz was also the first female Republican Texas congresswoman in history to give a Spanish language rebuttal to a state of the union address. In March, she argued the president “does not understand us.”
