Mariachi band plays outside Ted Cruz’s home so he doesn't 'miss' his Mexican 'vacation'

Ted Cruz must have felt he was back in Cancun, Mexico as he heard a mariachi band outside his home in Houston, Texas. That certainly was the intention of those who organized the band to play outside the Senator's home - to remind him that he had deserted Texans during a crisis. After Texas' privatized power grid failed in the wake of the snowstorm, Ted Cruz left the state to spend the weekend at Cancun along with his family. While his constituents fought the cold in the dark, without power, their Senator was on vacation.

To make matters worse for the Senator, he was snapped leaving for Cancun, at the airport and on the flight. Following the controversy, Ted Cruz returned to the state the next day but leaked flight information revealed he had changed plans and didn't intend to return until later. The temperatures dropped to as low as 0F in Texas last Sunday. At least 30 people have died from weather-related incidents in the worst snowstorm to hit the state in almost three decades. More than 5 million people have been without power.

Images and videos of the mariachi band performance were shared on Twitter and Facebook. There was also a small crowd outside the Senator's home protesting his decision to go on vacation during the crisis. Many held placards with one of them reading, "Cruz’s lies cost lives.” The performance held on Sunday was organized by a Houston-based Twitter user, Bryan Hlavinka, reported The Independent. “Just a typical Sunday. Mariachi band in town,” a Texan can be heard saying in a video shared to Twitter, as the mariachi band followed him to the Senator's home. “Where on our way to Ted Cruz’s house because he feels so bad about missing his vacation.”

Another fundraiser has been started to schedule another mariachi band to play outside Ted Cruz's home. The proceedings of the money raised from the performance will go directly to Texas Children Hospital in the Senator's neighbourhood of Houston. "No one should go to Cancun and not listen to mariachi,” read the fundraiser started by Adam Jama, from Carrollton, Texas. “Senator Cruz, being an amazing dad, dropped off his family in Cancun in the middle of a major crisis and came back to Texas to continue serving his constituents. We want to thank Senator Cruz for his leadership and pay for an amazing mariachi band to perform for him,” wrote Jama. The fundraiser has raised more than $2,000. 

Ted Cruz tried to justify his trip by claiming his daughters had asked for a vacation. "With school canceled for the week, our girls asked to take a trip with friends. Wanting to be a good dad, I flew down with them last night and am flying back this afternoon." It later emerged that he had intended to stay for the weekend. He duly changed his story on Fox News. “I had initially planned to stay through the weekend and to work remotely there, but as I – as I was heading down there, you know, I started to have second thoughts almost immediately because of the crisis here in Texas, you need to be here on the ground," Cruz told Hannity. He admitted the decision to fly to Cancun was a mistake.

Abhi Rahman, a spokesman for the Texas Democrats, slammed the Senator for this actions. "Ted Cruz showed the entire world who he is when he ditched Texas during our greatest time of need. No amount of pandering is going to change that," said Rahman in a statement, reported ABC News. Ted Cruz actions were further exposed as countless Democrats helped the people in the state by distributing essentials in the state. AOC raised $5 million to support five non-profit organizations in the state to help those affected by the power outage.