(Texas Scorecard) – U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas joined Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida and other colleagues in sending a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, urging him to heighten precautions along the U.S.-Canada border.
Senators wrote to Secretary Mayorkas that “the possibility of terrorists crossing the U.S.-Canada border is deeply concerning given the deep penetration of Gazan society by Hamas. It would be irresponsible for the U.S. to not take necessary, heightened precautions when foreigners attempt to enter the United States.”
The letter, also signed by Sens. Tom Cotton (R-AR), Mike Braun (R-IN), Joni Ernst (R-IA), and Josh Hawley (R-MO), addresses Canada’s decision in May to increase the number of Gazans allowed into the country.
By reportedly offering temporary resident visas to Palestinians living in the Palestinian Territories, Canada’s foreign nationals become eligible to receive a “Refugee Travel Document” to travel outside of the country. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services accepts Refugee Travel Documents instead of a passport.
Citing the Biden administration’s lack of border enforcement, the senators pointed out that there were more than 233 suspected terrorist encounters at the northern border in Fiscal Year 2024, an increase from previous years.
In addition to concerns at the northern border, Texas Scorecard previously reported that conditions at the southern border continue to be a major issue that worries most voters, a problem echoed in the U.S. House by its approval of a resolution last week condemning Border Czar and Vice President Kamala Harris’ handling of the border crisis.
“We have eight suspected terrorists, with ISIS-K, who’ve been arrested. Now they came into this country illegally at our southern border. The Biden administration apprehended them, and then they let them go. They let terrorists go,” Cruz told The Daily Wire in June.
“And I’ve been saying for a long time, we are at a greater risk of a major terrorist attack in the United States right now than we have been any time since September 11,” he added.