‘Millions of jobs’ at risk if U.S.-Mexico border closes, Sen. Ted Cruz warns(Source usatoday.com) Sen. Ted Cruz joined other congressional Republicans representing border states Wednesday in warning President Donald Trump against closing the U.S.-Mexico border, saying such a move would be “devastating” to Texas. 

“Of course, we should secure the border. We must. Our broken immigration system and years of unwillingness to secure our southern border has produced a security and humanitarian crisis,” Cruz said a statement. “But the answer is not to punish those who are legally crossing the border. The answer is not to punish Texas farmers and ranchers and manufacturers and small businesses,” he said. “Closing legal points of entry would harm American commerce and legal transit between Mexico and the United States, and leave coyotes and human traffickers to roam free in the wilderness of our unsecured border.” He said “millions of jobs” depend on trade with Mexico and that “the federal government shouldn’t do anything to jeopardize” those workers.  Trump has threatened to close the southern border several times in response to Mexico’s inability to stop the flow of migrants into the U.S., but he ramped up the rhetoric in a series of tweets Friday. And on Sunday, acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney indicated the president was serious about this threat.