Presidential contender Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) says President Obama is endangering the United States by letting Syrian refugees into the country.
“What President Obama is proposing to do — bring tens of thousands of Syrian Muslims to America — is nothing short of crazy,” Cruz said during a campaign stop in Kalamazoo, Mich., on Monday, according to MLIve.com.
{mosads}“With respect to the refugees, it is a humanitarian crisis, but they ought to be settled in the Middle East, in majority Muslim countries,” the 2016 presidential candidate added.
“It would be the height of foolishness to bring in tens of thousands of people, including jihadists who are coming here to murder innocent Americans.”
The Obama administration announced last month that it is accepting as many as 85,000 refugees in 2016.
Secretary of State John Kerry said the number being admitted would rise to 100,000 people in 2017.
Cruz’s remarks on the issue follow comments by Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) last week expressing openness to those displaced from Syria.
“There is a real crisis in the Middle East with refugees,” Snyder said in Lansing, Mich., according to MLive.com on Sept. 30. “Isn’t it the part of our nature as Americans to say, ‘How can we help people in need?’
“I don’t want to overreact to say it’s a certain number, or we’re going to do this, but I think it’s worth exploring and making sure we have a program and do that homework,” Snyder added. “Isn’t that part of being a good Michigander?”
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan (D) has also expressed interest in sheltering Syrian refugees in his city, MLive.com added.
Michigan is notable for having one of the largest Muslim populations in the country.
The GOP’s 2016 presidential field is sharply divided over Obama’s plan for addressing the Syrian refugee crisis.
Critics, like Cruz and New York business mogul Donald Trump, argue that it exposes the U.S. to the risk of Islamic extremism.
Others — like Gov. John Kasich (R-Ohio) and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) — have argued that helping refugees in need is an American tradition.
A civil war between Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad and rebel forces has plagued Syria since 2011.
The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has complicated the conflict by taking control of large swathes of the country.
The violence has displaced millions of Syrians and led to a flood of refugees seeking shelter abroad.