Discover video-sourced quotes by politicians

Ted Cruz: “They said, if you join the gang, it is a terrorist…”

Featuring: Ted Cruz, Republican | U.S. Senate, Texas

Inside El Salvador's CECOT Prison for MS-13 Gang Members, plus Stopping China from Having Control...

Published August 29, 2025 | Video Starts at 18:57

There were families, there were kids playing. Like it was transformational. And this prison and this zero tolerance, they went after and they arrested, they put in jail all the gang members. They said, if you join the gang, it is a terrorist organization. To join the gang, you are a murderer and we are taking you off the street. And the success of it is incredible. (18:57–19:01)

CLAIM

Asserts that joining the gang is equated with joining a terrorist organization.

This is an excerpt from a raw transcript. The assertions have not been audited or verified. Tap the video to view the source footage and understand the context.

Discover more from

Ted Cruz

“El Salvador went from having the highest murder rate on planet Earth of 100 murders per 100,000 people to the murder rate plummeting 98%.”
Inside El Salvador's CECOT Prison for MS-13 Gang Members, plus Stopping China from Having Control... | Uploaded August 29, 2025 | 00:41-00:57
“Last year the murder rate was 1.9 murders per 100,000 people making it one of the safest countries on earth and indeed significantly safer…”
Inside El Salvador's CECOT Prison for MS-13 Gang Members, plus Stopping China from Having Control... | Uploaded August 29, 2025 | 00:56-01:09
“The fines, if I remember correctly, what the Justice Minister said to me, it is $100,000 per violation.”
Inside El Salvador's CECOT Prison for MS-13 Gang Members, plus Stopping China from Having Control... | Uploaded August 29, 2025 | 05:41-05:48
“The capacity [of the prison] is 40,000 prisoners. They're at about 50% capacity right now.”
Inside El Salvador's CECOT Prison for MS-13 Gang Members, plus Stopping China from Having Control... | Uploaded August 29, 2025 | 09:13-09:19
“To become an Ms. 13 member, you have to murder someone. That is the process of admission.”
Inside El Salvador's CECOT Prison for MS-13 Gang Members, plus Stopping China from Having Control... | Uploaded August 29, 2025 | 17:38-17:45
“In El Salvador, to be a member of the gang, you had to commit 10 murders.”
Inside El Salvador's CECOT Prison for MS-13 Gang Members, plus Stopping China from Having Control... | Uploaded August 29, 2025 | 17:51-17:59
“There is a gigantic port that is owned and controlled by Communist China [at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal].”
Inside El Salvador's CECOT Prison for MS-13 Gang Members, plus Stopping China from Having Control... | Uploaded August 29, 2025 | 28:41-28:56
“Within a week [of the hearing], they announced the deal to sell those two Chinese ports to an American business consortium.”
Inside El Salvador's CECOT Prison for MS-13 Gang Members, plus Stopping China from Having Control... | Uploaded August 29, 2025 | 31:55-32:05
“The Sticot prison, El Salvador, built to house the very worst gang members. It's a maximum security prison. It has a capacity of 40,000…”
Inside El Salvador's CECOT Prison for MS-13 Gang Members, plus Stopping China from Having Control... | Uploaded August 29, 2025 | 04:23-04:35
“What the El Salvador's government has done is imposed massive fines on the cell phone companies if any even a single call goes through from…”
Inside El Salvador's CECOT Prison for MS-13 Gang Members, plus Stopping China from Having Control... | Uploaded August 29, 2025 | 05:22-05:37
“No 1 under 18 is there and there are no women there.”
Inside El Salvador's CECOT Prison for MS-13 Gang Members, plus Stopping China from Having Control... | Uploaded August 29, 2025 | 10:41-10:45
“The prisoners, 23 hours a day, they are in those cells.”
Inside El Salvador's CECOT Prison for MS-13 Gang Members, plus Stopping China from Having Control... | Uploaded August 29, 2025 | 11:27-11:34
“The lights are on 24 hours a day. They do not turn the lights off.”
Inside El Salvador's CECOT Prison for MS-13 Gang Members, plus Stopping China from Having Control... | Uploaded August 29, 2025 | 12:16-12:20
“They allow the prisoners out of their cells for an hour a day.”
Inside El Salvador's CECOT Prison for MS-13 Gang Members, plus Stopping China from Having Control... | Uploaded August 29, 2025 | 12:27-12:33
“The answer was essentially none [regarding violence].”
Inside El Salvador's CECOT Prison for MS-13 Gang Members, plus Stopping China from Having Control... | Uploaded August 29, 2025 | 13:22-13:25
“They said it [prison rape] didn't happen there.”
Inside El Salvador's CECOT Prison for MS-13 Gang Members, plus Stopping China from Having Control... | Uploaded August 29, 2025 | 13:59-14:13
“Prisons had separated each gang, so they'd sent Ms. 13 to 1 and 18th Street, Barrio to another.”
Inside El Salvador's CECOT Prison for MS-13 Gang Members, plus Stopping China from Having Control... | Uploaded August 29, 2025 | 16:10-16:17
“In this instance, they don't do that. In fact, they mix gang members, multiple gang members in the same cell.”
Inside El Salvador's CECOT Prison for MS-13 Gang Members, plus Stopping China from Having Control... | Uploaded August 29, 2025 | 16:17-16:24
“If you put all the Ms. 13 gang members in one prison, they end up operating the gang out of there.”
Inside El Salvador's CECOT Prison for MS-13 Gang Members, plus Stopping China from Having Control... | Uploaded August 29, 2025 | 16:27-16:33
“The reason the crime rate plummeted is because they took all the mass murderers off the street.”
Inside El Salvador's CECOT Prison for MS-13 Gang Members, plus Stopping China from Having Control... | Uploaded August 29, 2025 | 18:07-18:14
“Gang activity is essentially non-existent.”
Inside El Salvador's CECOT Prison for MS-13 Gang Members, plus Stopping China from Having Control... | Uploaded August 29, 2025 | 18:13-18:19
“He was illegally in the United States. He said, I was deported, I was sent back to El Salvador.”
Inside El Salvador's CECOT Prison for MS-13 Gang Members, plus Stopping China from Having Control... | Uploaded August 29, 2025 | 20:03-20:08
“El Salvador is much safer than it's ever been.”
Inside El Salvador's CECOT Prison for MS-13 Gang Members, plus Stopping China from Having Control... | Uploaded August 29, 2025 | 23:49-23:52
“Gang activity has disappeared in El Salvador.”
Inside El Salvador's CECOT Prison for MS-13 Gang Members, plus Stopping China from Having Control... | Uploaded August 29, 2025 | 24:23-24:28
“The Panama Canal was built in 1914.”
Inside El Salvador's CECOT Prison for MS-13 Gang Members, plus Stopping China from Having Control... | Uploaded August 29, 2025 | 27:52-27:55
“The United States built [the Panama Canal], and we lost thousands and thousands of lives building it.”
Inside El Salvador's CECOT Prison for MS-13 Gang Members, plus Stopping China from Having Control... | Uploaded August 29, 2025 | 27:54-28:01
“China is building a bridge across the canal. It is a bridge for cars.”
Inside El Salvador's CECOT Prison for MS-13 Gang Members, plus Stopping China from Having Control... | Uploaded August 29, 2025 | 29:03-29:10
“There's a Chinese company that is digging a tunnel under the canal for a metro train.”
Inside El Salvador's CECOT Prison for MS-13 Gang Members, plus Stopping China from Having Control... | Uploaded August 29, 2025 | 29:14-29:22
“The Commerce Committee has jurisdiction over the Panama Canal.”
Inside El Salvador's CECOT Prison for MS-13 Gang Members, plus Stopping China from Having Control... | Uploaded August 29, 2025 | 29:48-29:53
“President Xi has repeatedly said he wants to invade Taiwan.”
Inside El Salvador's CECOT Prison for MS-13 Gang Members, plus Stopping China from Having Control... | Uploaded August 29, 2025 | 30:18-30:23
“If China is in an active military conflict with the United States, I think the risk is unacceptable that China would try to shut down the…”
Inside El Salvador's CECOT Prison for MS-13 Gang Members, plus Stopping China from Having Control... | Uploaded August 29, 2025 | 30:29-30:43
“The Chinese are slow walking [the deal].”
Inside El Salvador's CECOT Prison for MS-13 Gang Members, plus Stopping China from Having Control... | Uploaded August 29, 2025 | 32:07-32:09