ICYMI: Sen. Cruz and Rep. Duncan Op-Ed in The Greenville News: “Open Door for Refugees Endangers Americans”
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-S.C.) today penned a joint op-ed for The Greenville News, underscoring the dangers of the Obama administration’s refugee program and inadequate vetting process that have already resulted in tragedy on our homeland. Sen. Cruz and Rep. Duncan also touted the State Refugee Security Act of 2015 and the Terrorist Refugee Infiltration Prevention Act of 2015, legislation introduced by Sen. Cruz that empowers states to opt out of the national refugee program and implements a moratorium on refugees from high-risk countries.
Read the Cruz-Duncan op-ed in its entirety here. Excerpts from the op-ed can be found below:
Open Door for Refugees Endangers Americans
The Greenville Times
By: Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Jeff Duncan
Jan. 24, 2016
Just weeks after the terrorist attack at San Bernardino, two suspected terrorists who came in as Iraqi refugees were apprehended in Sacramento and Houston. That same night, another man shot at a Philadelphia officer 13 times in the name of radical Islam. Yet the Obama administration continues to allow thousands of refugees — with the same insufficient vetting that resulted in San Bernardino — to flood our borders. Their plans to bring in refugees from war-torn Islamic nations not only make our country less secure, but endanger American lives.
Terrorist groups, including ISIS, are working to infiltrate Syrian and Iraqi refugees to get the visas that will allow them to hatch terror attacks in the West.
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There’s also the problem of limited or fraudulent documentation for those seeking refugee status. The Washington Post has extensively reported on the thriving black market for Syrian passports. People from Egypt, Iran, India, Albania, Somali, Kosovo, Pakistan and Tunisia have all falsely identified as Syrian to attempt to gain entry into Europe or the United States.
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At the same time the government inadequately screens those with the potential to cause the greatest harm to its citizens, it turns a blind eye to those individuals in greatest need of refuge by failing to prioritize refugees who would be the least likely to be terrorists. In fact, since the Syrian Civil War broke out, the United States has admitted 2,693 refugees – of whom only 53 were Christians, and 33 were other non-Muslim sects.
Yet, even with these shocking weaknesses and omissions, the administration intends to bring in 10,000 Syrian refugees next year and tens of thousands more in the coming years.
The Obama Administration has no foolproof vetting process, and this is tantamount to rolling out a welcome mat for terrorists to this country.
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The United States can and should remain the world’s most generous and compassionate nation. But our self-preservation dictates that we know who we are allowing into our country -- and that we keep ISIS terrorists out. Our children’s safety tomorrow depends on our ability to secure America today.
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