Ted Cruz Fires Back at Alex Padilla and Cory Booker: “Democrat Crime Policies Kill People”

In a heated Senate hearing on criminal justice reform, Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas delivered a scathing rebuke to his Democratic colleagues, Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Cory Booker (D-NJ), accusing them of supporting policies that have led to an epidemic of violent crime in America’s cities. Cruz’s remarks, which included a pointed critique of so-called “Soros DAs” and recent police reform legislation, sparked intense debate over the causes of rising homicide rates and the future of public safety policy in the nation’s capital and beyond.

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Red States, Blue Cities: The Crime Debate

From the outset of the hearing, Cruz made it clear that he believed the Democratic Party’s approach to crime was fundamentally flawed. “It’s clear from this hearing,” Cruz began, “the Democrat talking points have come out. Both Senator Padilla and Senator Booker spent a great deal of time talking about ‘red states.’ There’s a reason they were talking about red states—because unfortunately most red states have blue cities, and that’s where the crime is.”

Cruz backed up his claim with statistics, citing FBI data on homicide rates in major U.S. cities. “If you want to look at 2023, the large cities with the most homicides per 100,000 people: Number one was New Orleans, Louisiana. Number two was Memphis, Tennessee. Number three was St. Louis City. Number four was Baltimore City. Number five was Washington, D.C.” Cruz argued that these cities, while located in Republican-led states, are governed locally by Democrats, and that their policies have fueled a surge in violence.

“Democrat Crime Policies Kill People”

Cruz’s indictment of Democratic crime policies was uncompromising. “Democrat crime policies kill people,” he declared. “Soros DAs who let murderers out of jail kill people. When you don’t prosecute violent criminals, innocent victims die.”

He cited sobering statistics from Washington, D.C., noting that murders in the city totaled fewer than 100 in 2012, but by 2023, that number had nearly tripled to 274. “These are the real world consequences of Democrat crime policies that let murderers go. It is very simple cause and effect. If you release murderers onto the street, they will kill people—and they do it all across the country.”

To drive the point home, Cruz recounted the stories of several recent victims of violent crime in Washington, D.C.:

Edward Corstein, 19, brutally assaulted during a carjacking attempt
Eric Tarpinian Jackim, 21, a young congressional intern, gunned down in the capital city
Honesty Cheetel, three years old, killed by stray gunfire
Sarah Lin Mgrim, 26, and Yarn Linsky, 30, Israeli embassy staffers, murdered
Mike Gil, 56, former Trump administration official, shot during a carjacking rampage

“These aren’t just names,” Cruz said, his voice rising. “These are sons and daughters, husbands and wives, parents and grandchildren.”

The Impact of Police Reform Legislation

Cruz’s criticism was not limited to general policy but focused on specific legislation. He asked Detective Peton, head of the DC Police Officers Union, about the effects of the 2022 Comprehensive Policing and Justice Reform Act. Peton did not mince words, calling the law “unquestionably one of the worst pieces of public safety legislation I’ve ever seen.”

Peton explained that the law had “completely dismantled and destroyed the Metropolitan Police Department to the tune of more than 800 police officers short.” He outlined how the act eliminated bargaining and due process rights for officers, changed use-of-force policies to make officers criminally liable for facts unknown to them at the time, and exposed personnel records to public databases. “Each subtitle in that bill is worse than the last,” Peton said. “It was designed to defund and destroy the police department. It was designed to hamstring police officers and make sure that criminals, even when convicted, would be protected from being held accountable.”

Cruz has introduced the “Clean DC Act,” which would repeal the controversial reform law. Peton endorsed the bill, saying, “Repealing that bill is everything. It is the alpha and the omega of fixing criminal justice in the District of Columbia, and we must repeal that as soon as possible.”

Bipartisanship, Crime, and the National Guard

Senator Booker had earlier called for bipartisan agreement on crime reduction, a sentiment Cruz said he agreed with—at least in principle. “I think that’s a great idea. We should have bipartisan agreement. How about we all come together and say, ‘Let’s stop murders’? How about we all come together and say, ‘Let’s stop rape’? How about we all come together and say, ‘Let’s stop attacking pedophiles’?”

Cruz pointed to the recent deployment of the National Guard in Washington, D.C., as evidence that robust law enforcement can dramatically reduce crime. “Robbery fell by 57%, homicide fell by 58%, sex abuse fell by 40%,” he said. “Those are real results.”

Peton confirmed the positive impact, stating that passing the Clean DC Act would “make Washington DC safer, would reduce murders, would reduce violent crime permanently.”

The Soros DA Controversy

A major focus of Cruz’s remarks was the influence of progressive district attorneys, often supported by billionaire George Soros. “George Soros has spent millions of dollars electing DAs all over the country who turn around and let violent criminals go,” Cruz said. He argued that the “abolish the police” movement, which gained traction in the wake of high-profile police-involved killings, has had disastrous consequences.

“Cities all across the country slashed funding for police,” Cruz said, listing Minneapolis, New York City, and Austin, Texas, as examples. “When you take police off the streets, people die. There’s a direct cause and effect.”

He warned that there are two ways to “abolish the police”: by directly defunding departments or by electing district attorneys who refuse to prosecute criminals. “That means the police cannot do their job because when they arrest a murderer, a Soros DA turns around and lets them go. When they arrest a carjacker, a Soros DA turns around and lets them go.”

Democrats Respond

While Cruz’s remarks were met with applause from some conservatives, Democrats pushed back, arguing that tough-on-crime policies have often led to over-policing and racial disparities in incarceration. They contend that reform is necessary to address systemic issues within law enforcement and the justice system.

Senator Booker, before leaving the hearing, reiterated his call for bipartisan solutions. “We should be working together to make our communities safer, not scoring political points,” he said.

The Battle for Public Safety

As the hearing drew to a close, Cruz lamented the partisan divide over crime policy. “I can think of few issues that are more natural for bipartisanship than stopping crime. It used to be the case. This committee used to work together when it came to violent crime. It’s only been in the last few years that elected Democrats have decided that releasing violent criminals is something to be celebrated.”

He ended with a challenge: “Go back to the reduction in crime in DC that we’ve seen with the guard on the ground. You should be cheering a 57% decrease in robbery, a 58% decrease in homicide. There are people in DC alive because the guard is there. And not a single Democrat is saying that’s good. Not a single Democrat is saying, ‘We’re glad those people are alive.’ Instead, they’re saying, ‘Take them off the street and let the murderers run free.’ That’s not serving anybody.”

As Congress continues to debate the future of policing and criminal justice reform, the stakes could not be higher. For Cruz and his allies, the path forward is clear: repeal reform laws, restore police funding, and hold violent offenders accountable. For Democrats, the challenge is to balance public safety with justice and equity, ensuring that reforms do not come at the expense of the most vulnerable. The battle over crime policy is far from over—and the lives of countless Americans hang in the balance.