A mariachi band was seen playing outside the home of Texas senator Ted Cruz on Sunday, as outrage continued over a short-lived holiday to Cancun, Mexico during a devastating storm.

According to witnesses, some of Mr Cruz’s neighbours went out on to the street to watch the impromptu mariachi performance Sunday, which was organised by a Houston-based Twitter user, Bryan Hlavinka.

“Just a typical Sunday. Mariachi band in town,” said the Texan in a video shared to Twitter, which showed the mariachi band walking behind him. “Where on our way to Ted Cruz’s house because he feels so bad about missing his vacation.”

[...]

A separately organised fundraiser for a mariachi band to play outside the senator’s home on Thursday has since attracted donations, with proceedings going directly to Texas Children Hospital in Mr Cruz’s neighbourhood of Houston.

Adam Jama, from Carrollton, Texas, who organised the fundraising page, wrote that “no one should go to Cancun and not listen to mariachi”, after Mr Cruz cancelled the planned trip.

“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,” wrote Mr Jama.

“We want to thank Senator Cruz for his leadership and pay for an amazing mariachi band to perform for him. No one should go to Cancun and not listen to mariachi,” the fundraiser added.