STATE

Sens. Cruz, Cornyn introduce resolution to honor Texas Rangers bicentennial

Hannah Ortega
Austin American-Statesman
Sen. Ted Cruz is introducing a resolution, co-sponsored by Sen. John Cornyn, to honor the Texas Rangers as they mark 200 years of service.

As the Texas Rangers mark 200 years of service, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is introducing a resolution in the U.S. Senate to honor the law enforcement agency's bicentennial. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, is a co-sponsor on the resolution.

“From the earliest years of the Texas Republic, to the modern day, the Texas Rangers are synonymous with Texas identity and a source of immense pride to the people of the Lone Star State," Cruz said in a statement. "The Rangers continue to set the standard for skill, bravery, and professionalism, and thus it’s no wonder why they loom so large in the public’s imagination. They are one of the many things that make Texas great.”

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The Texas Rangers, headquartered in Austin, is the oldest state law enforcement agency in North America. It conducts major violent crime, public corruption, cold case and officer-involved shooting investigations, and helps with bomb squad services, crisis negotiation and more. Among its historic actions, the Rangers helped with Hurricane Harvey's aftermath and the pursuit of 1930s outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow.

“Congratulations to the Texas Rangers on two centuries of service to the people of Texas,” Cornyn said in a statement. “The Texas Rangers are the oldest state law enforcement agency in North America, and I applaud them for their bravery, resilience, and dedication to the Lone Star State.”

Sen. John Cornyn is co-sponsoring a resolution to honor the Texas Rangers bicentennial.

The Texas Rangers got their start in 1823 when Stephen F. Austin "created his own force of 'rangers' to protect the men and women living in his colony," according to the Bullock Texas State History Museum.

The Rangers' story "contains heroic acts of bravery, but also moments that challenge our idea of the Rangers as noble lawmen," the museum says of the agency's history. "They protected settlers and enforced laws, but also sometimes executed thieves without a trial, drove Native American tribes from their homelands, and some Rangers even lynched Mexicans and Mexican Americans along the Texas-Mexico border."