ICYMI: Sen. Cruz Responds to Refugee Arrests in Texas and California Tied to Terrorism
“We need a retroactive assessment of refugees who have been admitted to this country”
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Following the terrorist-related arrests of two refugees in Houston and Sacramento on Thursday, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) urged congressional leadership to immediately take up and pass legislation he has filed to protect America against the threat of radical Islamic terrorists entering the United States as refugees. Sen. Cruz also called for a retroactive assessment of refugees who have been admitted to our country.
“There is no doubt we need a retroactive assessment of refugees who have been admitted to this country,” Sen. Cruz said. “We need to systematically examine the national security threats. And I’ll tell you, one of the greatest challenges with the Obama administration assessing security risks is the bizarre, the indefensible political correctness of refusing to acknowledge what it is we are fighting. When President Obama will not say the words ‘radical Islamic terrorism,’ when his entire administration as a matter of administration policy prohibits others from saying ‘radical Islamic terrorism’… it dramatically limits the ability of the administration to identify what it is we are fighting.”
Sen. Cruz continued, “We need to define [the] enemy, and then we need to use every tool we have to defeat it. We should start by passing the Expatriate Terrorist Act, by passing the legislation I have filed suspending the refugee program from countries where ISIS and al-Qaeda control significant territory, and by passing the legislation giving governors the authority to opt out. But we need a comprehensive and thorough review to make sure we are keeping this country safe. And it is my hope that leaders on both sides of the aisle will put aside politics and say, ‘let’s solve this problem.’ That’s what American people are looking for is leadership to keep America safe.
“I commend law enforcement for apprehending these two individuals, but their apprehension raises the immediate question, who else is there? What are they planning next? And what can we do to prevent the next terrorist attack before yet more innocent life is taken?”
Sen. Cruz specifically implored Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) to immediately take up and pass his State Refugee Security Act of 2015, Terrorist Refugee Infiltration Prevention Act of 2015, and Expatriate Terrorist Act to protect the safety and security of the American people.
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