Ted Cruz Declares that Open Borders Depresses Worker Wages Ted Cruz Declares that Open Borders Depresses Worker Wages Jose Nino May 14, 2021 Ted Cruz made an unprecedented move on May 12, 2021 by pointing out that mass migration depresses the wages of many working class Americans. Generally seen as one of the more business-friendly Republicans in his time in the Senate, Cruz has taken a populist turn as of late. During a hearing on May 12 that broached the subject of a Democrat-sponsored amnesty bill, Cruz declared The open borders policy of Democrats is driving down the wages of millions of Americans. The amnesty bill in question, the Citizenship for Essential Workers Act, would grant amnesty and citizenship to approximately 5 million illegal aliens who replaced Americans in jobs categorized by the government as essential according to Neil Munro of Breitbart News. However, about 80% of all jobs fall under the category of essential.