‘Insult me to my face’

I am working with [Rep.] Steve King in the House to prevent President Obama and Hillary Clinton from bringing tens of thousands of Syrian Muslim refugees to this country particularly because the federal government can not effectively vet whether or not they’re ISIS terrorists. “I’ll take those numbers any day”. Obama hasn’t actually named Cruz in any of his remarks so far, addressing the policies Cruz is proposing without naming him directly, but from the way Cruz is talking, you’d think the president had engaged in personal schoolyard taunting. The State Department has said those countries are controlled in part by a foreign terrorist organization. I’d prefer it in the United States and not overseas where you’re making the insults.

But Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush doesn’t think the USA should refuse entry to all Syrian refugees – just the ones that he’s completely sure aren’t terrorists, like Christians.

Cruz noted that Obama had belittled the Republican presidential candidates, saying they were scared.

But Christian charities and groups in the US that work with refugees have balked at Republicans’ statements and urged support for Syrian refugees of all faiths.

“I have been told by my law enforcement agency, by Homeland Security, that there have been a few major threats against the United States after 9/11, and all of those individuals came out of refugee programs”, said Alabama Governor Robert Bentley in an appearance on CNN this week.

In the wake of the Paris terrorist attacks, Americans have a legitimate fear that a wave of Arabic refugees might include agents of Al Qaida or the Islamic State, poised to launch fresh attacks on USA soil.

As reports have indicated that one of the ISIS members who carried out the Paris attacks may have entered France among Syrian refugees, more than 30 USA governors have reportedly made it clear that refugees will not be welcome in their states. “I don’t think so”, McCain said. He would also favor more joint military exercises with other countries.

The senator went on to say he would debate Mr. Obama on the issue “anywhere you want”. “We will do what we do best and that is be Americans – fighting racism, fighting xenophobia, fighting fear”, he said. “It’s easy to toss a cheap insult when no one can respond”, he added, saying the president was belittling the Republican field. Candidates have debated all year what to do about 11 million illegal immigrants already in the United States.

Let me make one last point about this, and then unfortunately I have to take a flight to Manila. The president believes not taking in Muslim refugees is religious discrimination; critics say doing so could expose Americans to Islamic extremists who hide among them and still others who spoke to FoxNews.com say religious minorities, which in the Middle East are Christians, deserve priority.

Cruz spoke with reporters near the Capitol, after he and top campaign aides met with a few dozen conservative U.S. House members, laying out his strategy in hopes of winning fresh endorsements.