--- ---  # Ted Cruz's New Ad Depicts Illegal Immigrants as a Bunch of Lawyers and Bankers  by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Jan 5, 2016 3:17 PM UTC  Ted Cruz at the Republican presidential debate in Las Vegas on Dec. 15, 2015. Ted Cruz at the Republican presidential debate in Las Vegas on Dec. 15, 2015.Matt Baron—BEI/Shutterstock  by [Tessa Berenson](https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/)  ## Tessa Berenson Jan 5, 2016 3:17 PM UTC Campaign ads [warning of immigrants illegally crossing the border](http://time.com/4165887/trump-first-ad-muslims/) into the U.S. are quickly becoming [a staple of the Republican presidential primary fight](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/05/us/politics/republicans-turn-up-heat-in-iowa-setting-aside-good-for-bad-and-ugly.html?). But [Ted Cruz has added a new twist](https://twitter.com/tedcruz/status/684360863361273856): His latest ad imagines the border crossers as dozens of men with briefcases and women in heels, sloshing through a river and run through the desert. In a voiceover, the Texas Senator makes an economic case for being tough on illegal immigration, saying media and political elites cannot relate to the realities for lower-wage workers. “The politics of it would be very very different if a bunch of lawyers or bankers were crossing the Rio Grande,” he says. “Or if a bunch of people with journalism degrees were coming over and driving down the wages of the press.” **MORE** [_Here’s What’s Wrong With Donald Trump’s Campaign Ad_](http://time.com/4166931/donald-trumps-campaign-ad-shows-the-border-with-morocco/) Cruz’s spot comes in the same week that both businessman [Donald Trump](http://time.com/4165887/trump-first-ad-muslims/) and former Florida Gov. [Jeb Bush](http://time.com/4166005/jeb-bush-tv-ad-isis-donald-trump/) [released new ads](http://time.com/4166931/donald-trumps-campaign-ad-shows-the-border-with-morocco/), in a flurry of activity before early-voting begins in Iowa and New Hampshire. Ted Cruz Ad Shows Illegal Immigrants as Bankers and Lawyers ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4167503/ted-cruz-immigration-ad-2016-election/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4167503/ted-cruz-immigration-ad-2016-election/"},"headline":"Ted Cruz's New Ad Depicts Illegal Immigrants as a Bunch of Lawyers and Bankers","datePublished":"2016-01-05T15:17:18.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T13:47:01.908Z","description":"A creative new twist on the immigration argument","url":"https://time.com/4167503/ted-cruz-immigration-ad-2016-election/","keywords":["ted cruz","2016 Election topic","Immigration"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt590cd2609040f706/69887593a988caf0d56b5c12/republican-debate-gop-presidential-021.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Tessa Berenson","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/tessa-berenson/"}],"articleSection":"Politics","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt590cd2609040f706/69887593a988caf0d56b5c12/republican-debate-gop-presidential-021.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"CNN Republican Presidential Debate, Las Vegas, America - 15 Dec 2015","caption":"Ted Cruz at the Republican presidential debate in Las Vegas on Dec. 15, 2015.","creditText":"Matt Baron—BEI/Shutterstock","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/politics/","name":"Politics"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/ted-cruz/","name":"ted cruz"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4167503/ted-cruz-immigration-ad-2016-election/","name":"Ted Cruz's New Ad Depicts Illegal Immigrants as a Bunch of Lawyers and Bankers"}}]}] ```