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- Houston police confirmed on Thursday afternoon that Ted Cruz’s staff asked for security aid.
- Police provided security for Cruz’s family as they navigated through the airport on Wednesday.
- Police Chief Art Acevedo predicted that Cruz’s return from Cancun would likely be a “media circus.”
- Visit the Business section of Insider for more stories.
As first responders deal with Texas’ statewide power and water crisis, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz’s office asked Houston police for a security detail at the airport ahead of his family trip to Cancun, the department confirmed on Thursday afternoon.
“The Houston Police Department (HPD) can confirm that a member of Senator Cruz’s staff contacted HPD personnel at IAH on Wednesday afternoon, February 17th, and requested assistance upon the Senator’s arrival at the airport,” Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo said in a statement.
—Houston Police (@houstonpolice) February 18, 2021
“Upon Senator Cruz’s arrival at Terminal E, HPD officers monitored his movements through the terminal,” he added.
Cruz claimed the jaunt was merely an overnight trip to chaperone his kids who wanted to vacation with friends, explaining it away as him “wanting to be a good dad.”
“People are gonna say what they’re gonna say. I’m a dad, and I was trying to be a good dad and take care of my kids. I’m also a senator, and working hard to fight for the state of Texas each and every day, and I’ll keep doing that,” Cruz said upon arrival in Houston.
Acevedo did not get into the issue of resources being diverted for Cruz's security detail, but he did comment further on the matter after the department released its statement.
"While we are not aware of any request from Senator Cruz's staff for assistance regarding his return, his arrival will more than likely turn into a media circus, so @houstonpolice will be monitoring the situation," the chief tweeted.
—Chief Art Acevedo (@ArtAcevedo) February 18, 2021
An unnamed source told Skift that Cruz had initially planned to take a United Airlines flight back to Texas on Saturday. His itinerary abruptly changed on Thursday morning - a fact that was later also reported on by NBC News' Peter Alexander. It remains unclear if the widespread criticism in any way impacted Cruz's return date.
Cruz's office would not respond to questions from Insider regarding his initial flight booking, among other subjects, and only provided his statement about the family trip.
John Haltiwanger contributed reporting for this article.