Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz made an audacious call in the wake of the Brussels terror attacks Tuesday for monitoring Muslim neighborhoods within the U.S. to prevent radicalization.
Cruz, who has been an outspoken advocate along with Republican front-runner Donald Trump for barring Muslim refugees from entering the U.S. due to terror concerns, went a step further today with his call for law enforcement patrols to keep an eye on Muslim populations within the homeland.
"We need to immediately halt the flow of refugees from countries with a significant al Qaida or ISIS presence," Cruz said in a statement in the wake of the attacks, which killed at least 31 people this morning.
"We need to empower law enforcement to patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods before they become radicalized," the 2016 hopeful added.
Sen. Ted Cruz speaks about the Brussels attacks in Washington on Tuesday. (AP/Jacquelyn Martin)
Cruz argued that political correctness has led politicians like President Barack Obama to not take the threat of terrorism seriously enough.
"For years, the west has tried to deny this enemy exists out of a combination of political correctness and fear. We can no longer afford either," Cruz said in his statement. "Our European allies are now seeing what comes of a toxic mix of migrants who have been infiltrated by terrorists and isolated, radical Muslim neighborhoods. We will do what we can to help them fight this scourge, and redouble our efforts to make sure it does not happen here."
The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for Tuesday's blasts at the Brussels airport and on a subway train near the European Union.
Also Tuesday, Trump again called for surveillance of mosques within the U.S.
“Frankly, look, we’re having problems with the Muslims, and we’re having problems with Muslims coming into the country,” Trump said on Fox Business Network. “You need surveillance. You need to deal with the mosques whether we like it or not.”
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