Los Angeles Times
By Christi Parsons
November 16, 2016
President
Obama took issue with Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) here on Monday for
suggesting what Obama called a "religious test" for refugees trying to
come to the U.S. from
the war-torn Middle East.
Obama's
remarks followed Cruz’s suggestion that Christians entering the U.S.
don't pose a threat as Muslim refugees from Syria do.
"That's
shameful," Obama said, speaking to reporters at the conclusion of the
Group of 20 summit here. "That's not American. It's not who we are. We
don't add religious
tests to our compassion."
The
president never said Cruz's name, but he mentioned critics who
“themselves come from families who benefited from protection when they
were fleeing political persecution.”
Cruz has said that his father left Cuba for the U.S. in the 1950s to
get away from torture and oppression.
After
the Paris attacks on Friday, Cruz said at a campaign event in South
Carolina that there is "no meaningful risk of Christians committing acts
of terror," according
to the Washington Post. He also called for Muslim refugees from Syria
to be barred from entering the country.
"If
there were a group of radical Christians pledging to murder anyone who
had a different religious view than they, we would have a different
national security situation,"
Cruz said.
In
September, as the refugee crisis ballooned in Europe, Obama ordered his
administration to bring 10,000 Syrian refugees into the U.S., more than
the 1,300 who have come
to the country since the start of the civil war in Syria four years but
far fewer than advocates had called for, and a tiny fraction of the
millions who have flooded into Europe.
Because
of intensive vetting due to security concerns, the process to approve a
refugee for resettlement takes 18-24 months, the Obama administration
has said.
For more information, go to: www.beverlyhillsimmigrationlaw.com
No comments:
Post a Comment