A resurfaced 2020 campaign ad shows U.S. Sen. John Cornyn promoting his support for the “legalization of Dreamers”—a message that has since been removed from his YouTube channel.
In the Spanish-language ad, a narrator proclaims that, while Cornyn supports secure borders, he “firmly supports legalization of Dreamers.”
The video, which was previously available on his official YouTube channel, was quickly removed after circulation on social media.
He’s John Cornyn
And he approves of amnesty for illegals!
(Recorded today from his YouTube at 4:23pm) pic.twitter.com/sQ4ATq9EBQ
— Tom Slocum for Texas 🇺🇸 (@slocumfortexas) April 23, 2026
Created by executive action under President Barack Obama in 2012, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program allows certain individuals brought to the United States illegally as children, known as “Dreamers,” to remain in the country and shields them from deportation.
The program was challenged by President Donald Trump and Attorney General Ken Paxton, who argued it was unconstitutional. The U.S. Supreme Court ultimately blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to end the program in a 5–4 ruling.
The messaging aligns with comments Cornyn made on the Senate floor in 2020 regarding recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program following that Supreme Court ruling.
“DACA recipients must have a permanent legislative solution. They deserve nothing less,” Cornyn said at the time. “We need to take action and pass legislation that will unequivocally allow these young men and women to stay in the only home, in the only country, they’ve known.”
Cornyn also described the uncertainty surrounding their status as “terrifying” and said many recipients have built careers and families in the United States.
“These young people deserve better,” he added.
The senator further noted he had been working with advocacy groups and stakeholders—including the Texas Hispanic Chambers of Commerce, LULAC, and Catholic bishops—to find a long-term solution.
“I’m willing to work with anyone, Republican or Democrat, who’s interested in solving the problem,” Cornyn said.
U.S. Rep. Brandon Gill, an endorser of Ken Paxton in the Senate runoff, sharply criticized Cornyn following the ad’s resurfacing.
“John Cornyn released an ad in Spanish promising his support for amnesty,” Gill wrote on social media. “Apparently he forgot that we represent American citizens, not illegal aliens. This is absolutely disqualifying. I want my country back, and I’m sick of swampy politicians in Washington who are dying to give it away.”
In response to criticism, a senior advisor to John Cornyn defended the senator’s record.
“Paxton and his allies are attacking Sen. Cornyn for supporting President Trump’s Secure and Succeed Act, which would have ended the visa lottery and reformed chain migration,” said Matt Mackowiak, a senior advisor to the Cornyn campaign. “Sen. Cornyn has consistently supported all border security efforts and earned the endorsement of the National Border Patrol Council.”
