'Off to Mexico again?' Critics slam Ted Cruz following Texas snowstorm forecast

On November 22 and 23, meteorologists forecast heavy snow for the Texas Panhandle — including, according to some projections, up to two feet in Amarillo. And some Twitter users, upon hearing the forecast, used the snowstorm to mock and ridicule Sen. Ted Cruz.

In February 2021, Texas suffered unusually cold temperatures that put considerable stress on its power grid — which wasn’t properly winterized — and led to widespread outages. Millions of Texans found themselves without heat in freezing temperatures. During the crisis, Cruz headed to Cancun, Mexico to escape the cold and was slammed as “Cancun Cruz” by critics who argued that he was abandoning Texans when they needed help the most.

Many Twitter users haven’t forgotten the “Cancun Cruz” taunts of February 2021, and the Texas Panhandle snowstorm gave them a new opportunity to make fun of the far-right GOP senator.

Cruz doesn’t live near the Texas Panhandle, which is in the far north of Texas west of Oklahoma, but rather, in South Texas hundreds of miles away. Nonetheless, Twitter users welcomed a chance to have some laughs at Cruz’s expense.

Twitter user Tammy Sahargun, @TammySahargun, posted, “Anyone know where Ted Cruz is heading?” while @SweetPea6962 asked, “@TedCruz @SenTedCruz Have you booked your flight to Mexico yet???” And @VotingTweeter wrote, “Major snow storm is going to dump on Texas. Are you packed?”

Another Twitter user wrote, “Does Texas have any contingency plans in case what happened last winter happens again? You gonna leave people to die again? In your case, Ted, off to Mexico again?"

When Cruz fled to Mexico during the February 2021, he insisted that he came right back to Texas in response to reports on the disaster. Cruz’s critics, however, maintained that he only came back in response to the bad publicity he was receiving, not in response to the crisis itself.