Texas senator and Republican presidential hopeful says ‘significant number’ of refugees entering Europe are probably Isis terrorists

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Republican presidential contender Ted Cruz has said the Obama administration’s plan to accept about 10,000 Syrian refugees is “nothing short of crazy”.

The Texas senator told a Michigan crowd on Monday he thought a “significant number” of refugees entering Europe were terrorists from the Islamic State. He said it would be the “height of foolishness” to allow “Syrian Muslims” into the country.

Germany’s top security official said last week that intelligence services were watching for signs that terrorists were mixing into the flow of incoming migrants but had confirmed no such cases.

In Michigan, the Republican governor, Rick Snyder, is talking with federal officials about what the state can do about accepting more refugees from Syria.

Cruz is campaigning for Michigan’s 8 March presidential primary.