© Brian Snyder / Reuters
Ted Cruz took the anti-Syrian refugee rhetoric a step further Monday, claiming that he will introduce legislation that bans Muslim Syrian refugees from entering the country. He said that President Obama’s proposal to bring in Syrian refugees is “nothing short of lunacy.” Cruz defended a question about his own Cuban father receiving this kind of treatment. “If my father were part of a theocratic and political movement like radical Islamism, that promotes murdering anyone who doesn’t share your extreme faith, or forcibly converting them, then it would make perfect sense.”
The State Department said Monday the United States would move forward with plans to admit 10,000 Syrian refugees despite calls from more than 20 governors to supsend the asylum program. “These refugees are subject to the highest level security checks of any category of traveler to the United States,” State Department spokesman Mark Toner said. “We think we can do this safely and in a way that reflects American values.”