Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, introduced new legislation on Thursday that would prevent President Obama from using any taxpayer funds to expand DACA [Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals] and would place restrictions on employment authorization for undocumented immigrants.

Cruz called for the nation to “come together and end the policies” that he says produced what many are calling a “humanitarian crisis” on the border.

“Tens of thousands of children are being smuggled into the United States by dangerous drug cartels and transnational gangs; it is heartless to allow that to continue,” said Cruz. “The only way to stop the border crisis is to stop President Obama’s amnesty. If we do not put an end to its expansion – to the promise of amnesty that is the reason so many are coming – then more little boys and girls will be trafficked, abused, and even killed.”

According to sources at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, this fiscal year, an estimated 51,000 unaccompanied children have already crossed the border into the U.S. Authorities estimate the number could grow to as high as 90,000, which would be a significant difference from 2011, when approximately 6,000 unaccompanied children crossed the border.

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