‘More than most members of Congress, Sen. Ted Cruz (R–Texas) understands the desperation of individuals fleeing autocratic communist regimes.’

• ‘Cruz's father, Rafael, fled Cuba in 1957 with little more than a student visa and $100 sewn into his underwear—an oft-repeated detail that effectively conveys both the fear and hopefulness of the refugee experience.’
• ‘Importantly, he was granted political asylum when his student visa expired.’

‘If not for that last detail, it's highly unlikely that Rafael's son would have ever had the chance to stand on the floor of the U.S. Senate and declare, as he did on Friday, that America ought to make it more difficult for individuals and families to flee other oppressive communist regimes.’

• ‘The bill Cruz blocked, the Hong Kong People's Freedom and Choice Act of 2020, would grant political asylum to any resident of Hong Kong who arrives in the United States, allowing them to remain in the country legally after the expiration of any other visa.’
• ‘The United States already extends that special status to refugees from 10 other countries, and the bill would have merely added Hong Kong to the list.’

‘In remarks delivered on the Senate floor Friday, Cruz outlined two objections to the bill. Both are misleading, at best.’

• ‘First, Cruz politicized the attempt to provide an exit strategy for Hongkongers, calling the bill a Democratic plot to "advance their long-standing goals on changing immigration laws." But the bill has a bipartisan list of cosponsors and passed the House earlier this month by a voice vote—usually an indicator of such broad support that no roll call is demanded.’
• ‘Second, Cruz maligned Hong Kong refugees as potential spies, arguing that China would use the special immigration status to slip its agents into the United States. Except, well, China doesn't seem to have any trouble doing that already, and recipients of political asylum would have to undergo a background check before their status is granted.’

‘Again, Cruz's father's story stands in stark contrast.’

• ‘Prior to fleeing to America, Rafael Cruz had worked for the Castro government in Cuba.’
• ‘If Ted were a member of the U.S. Senate at the time, would he have viewed his own father as a potential spy who should not be trusted with political asylum?’

‘ "My family knows the oppression of communist governments," Cruz said on the Senate floor Friday, once again invoking his father's story.’

• ‘He said it was important to "speak up for dissidents who are being tortured and oppressed" in China.’
• ‘But speaking up only gets you so far.’