Ted Cruz’s presidential campaign has a new ad featuring the father of an Arizona man murdered by an illegal immigrant.
First reported by CNN, the television spot is aimed at the Grand Canyon State ahead of next week’s nominating contest.
The ad features Steve Ronnebeck discussing the murder of his son, who Ronnebeck says was killed by an illegal immigrant that should have been deported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.
“My son’s death was completely preventable,” Ronnebeck says in the ad. “I trust Ted Cruz. He believes in our Constitution. He believes in the rule of law. It’s time we put somebody in office who puts the American people first.”
The Arizona Republic reported that Ronnebeck’s 21-year-old son, Grant, was shot and killed by Apolinar Altamirano when working at a convenience store in 2015.
Illegal immigration has become an animating issue for Arizonans, particularly after the federal government shipped more than 1,000 unaccompanied alien children to the state in 2014. The issue of immigration has served as a hot button issue for both parties on the campaign trail, and will likely become a determinative issue for many voters in Arizona.
Cruz also released an ad featuring video of Utah Sen. Mike Lee endorsing the Texas senator’s presidential campaign. Utah and Arizona will vote Tuesday.
