Posted By Sanford Nowlin on Mon, Mar 8, 2021 at 9:15 AM Courtesy Photo / U.S. Senate U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz Seizing on anti-immigrant fervor popular with the Trump base, Sen. Ted Cruz on Saturday sponsored an amendment to the pending COVID-19 relief bill to block undocumented immigrants from receiving its $1,400 stimulus checks. “The question for the American people to answer is, should your money, should taxpayer money, be sent — $1,400 — to every illegal alien in America?” Cruz, R-Texas, asked during debate on his amendment, which was ultimately rejected. Cruz, a potential 2024 presidential candidate, should be smart enough to figure out why his proposal was slapped down for the political theater it was. Here's the deal: undocumented immigrants don't have social security numbers, which means they can't qualify for direct government assistance.