Sen. Ted Cruz will be a guest at McAllen’s annual Fourth of July Parade this year.
McAllen Mayor Jim Darling said Cruz will give remarks at Archer Park in the morning and will then ride in a vehicle during the parade. Cruz’s staff and the city are also planning either a breakfast before the parade or a reception afterward.
The visit is “community oriented” — he does not plan to meet with Border Patrol, trade industry stakeholders or visit any of the international bridges, as he has on previous trips.
This marks Cruz’s third Rio Grande Valley visit in the past year. He visited McAllen for a border roundtable at the McAllen Convention Center in December. In February, days before Speaker Paul Ryan toured the Valley, Cruz accompanied Border Patrol on an overnight walk, talked with trade stakeholders at Mission’s Center for Education and Economic Development and met with protestors across the street from the CEED building.
He concluded that Valley visit with a Rio Grande tour on Texas Highway Patrol boats.
This story has been updated from its original online version because of McAllen’s July 4 Parade security protocol.
