Senator Cruz Proposes Bills To Keep Syrian, Other Refugees Out Temporarily
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NORTH TEXAS (CBS11) - Texas Governor Greg Abbott joined Texas Senator Ted Cruz in Washington Tuesday to announce two new bills to keep refugees from Syria and four other nations out of the U.S.
One measure Cruz proposed would immediately bar refugees from not only Syria, but four other countries where terror organizations operate: Iraq, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen.
The bill does make an exception for refugees if they're a victim of genocide designated by Congress or the U.S. State Department.
It sunsets after three years.
Another bill would give states like Texas the right to reject refugees for security reasons.
Both Cruz and Abbott strongly criticized President Barack Obama's plan to bring 10,000 Syrian refugees into the U.S. during this fiscal year.
Cruz said, "This makes no sense. We should not be bringing in refugees when our own FBI tells us we cannot ascertain whether or not they are ISIS terrorists."
Abbott said, "My top priority as the Governor of Texas is to keep citizens of Texas safe. With Senator Cruz's newly proposed acts, I'm better equipped to accomplish that goal."
The Governor said Texas is still pursuing its lawsuit against the federal government to keep additional Syrian refugees out of Texas.
Late Tuesday, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said during a court hearing Monday, attorneys for the federal government said the refugees coming to Texas this week don't have material ties to terrorism.
Sameer Almazayen is one of 100 refugees in North Texas.
He says two years ago, he and his family had no other choice but to escape the civil war in Syria. "There is no humanity there. You will die, or your kids, they will die, it's guaranteed."
Almazayen is now a dentist's assistant in Garland, after giving up his own dental practice in his homeland and fleeing for safety. "I'm a doctor, I have clinic, I have a house, I have everything. Why would he leave everything and come to America and start from the beginning."
He says he's troubled when hears about Senator Cruz's bills because they could mean the difference between life and death for the refugees. "Do you want to tell 10,000 people for example because one person from these 10,000, he will be bad?"
Senator Cruz and Governor Abbott point to the terror attack in San Bernardino, California, where the female shooter was allowed in on a fiancee visa after giving a phony home address.
Cruz said, "The vetting of the fiancee visa was the very same vetting President Obama tells us will keep us safe from ISIS terrorists coming from Syria."
Abbott said, "America is a charitable nation. But we can't allow charity for some to compromise the safety for all."
Almazayen says he understands Americans' safety concerns, but insists refugees like him only want to live in peace.
"I'm not radicalized in my country. Why would I have to be radicalized here. We want to live peacefully, this is why we came here."
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