U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks at a campaign stop on July 5, 2018 in Tyler, Texas. (Erin Mansfield/Tyler Morning Telegraph) 

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, says a bill he introduced in the Senate would keep detained families together while speeding up the legal process for whether to grant them asylum.

Cruz made the comments in an interview at a campaign stop in Tyler on Thursday. He is running for re-election against U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-El Paso, on Nov. 6.

The bill would double the number of federal immigration judges who decide whether to grant families asylum. He said there has been a shortage of judges for years and consequently a backlog of detained immigrants waiting for court dates.

“My bill increases the funding and authorization, so it significantly increases the size of the pool of judges altogether, which enables the cases to be processed much more quickly,” Cruz said.

“Part of the problem is the delay in processing these cases presents real challenges for the system,” he said. “If we process them quickly, get people a fair and prompt hearing, that resolves the problems.

“The best way to prevent illegal immigration is for there to be a prompt consequence that if someone crosses illegally they’re detained and if they don’t have a valid claim, they’re sent home and sent home quickly,” Cruz said.

Cruz said he has been having discussions with Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., about the bill. He said the discussions are productive, and there will be a vote.

Cruz said his idea to speed up the asylum process is better than an earlier policy known as “catch and release,” in which President Barack Obama’s administration would release some immigrants while they awaited trial.

“The reason why returning to catch and release is such a bad idea is it serves as a magnet to more and more illegal immigration,” Cruz said. He criticized some in the Democratic Party who still advocate for that policy.

Under President Donald Trump, a policy known as “zero tolerance” has led to an increase in detention of immigrants. Thousands of children have been separated from their parents under this policy.

Cruz said his bill would still detain families, but keep them in secure family shelters so they would not be separated from one another.

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