Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz Rafael (Ted) Edward CruzSenate Republicans face tough decision on replacing Ginsburg Cruz: Trump should nominate a Supreme Court justice next week Renewed focus on Trump's Supreme Court list after Ginsburg's death MORE said Tuesday he stands by his proposal to secure and patrol Muslim neighborhoods in the wake of the Brussels terror attacks, despite the backlash he's received.

"You are right that after I called for increased vigilance protecting us, that Barack Obama Barack Hussein ObamaObama calls on Senate not to fill Ginsburg's vacancy until after election Senate Republicans face tough decision on replacing Ginsburg Cruz: Trump should nominate a Supreme Court justice next week MORE, Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham ClintonWhat Senate Republicans have said about election-year Supreme Court vacancies Bipartisan praise pours in after Ginsburg's death Trump carries on with rally, unaware of Ginsburg's death MORE and New York's Mayor Bill de Blasio all attacked me," he told Anderson Cooper during a CNN town hall.

"I wear that as a badge of pride. I'm not going to apologize to anyone."

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Cruz said there was a successful program in New York that served a similar purpose. Even when Cooper pushed back on that point, saying the commander who oversaw the program testified that it didn't lead to any investigations, Cruz continued to defend it.

"In New York, this was a successful program," Cruz said.

"It was set up under Mayor Michael Bloomberg to monitor and to work cooperatively with the Muslim community to prevent radicalization and to stop radical Islamic terrorist plots before it occurred."

But Cruz said when de Blasio got elected, he gave into political correctness and shut it down.

"If you want to stop radical Islamic terrorism, the answer isn't to go hang out in random neighborhoods, it is instead to focus on communities where radicalization is a risk."

He said America should not make the same mistakes as Europe, emphasizing that the country should have law enforcement actively engaging to stop radicalization.

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Cooper continued to press Cruz on what his proposal would actually look like.

Cruz said his call to patrol and monitor Muslim neighborhoods means that "we target the enemy."

Cruz also hit on President Obama for his response to the Brussels terror attacks. He said Obama then went on television on lectured about Islamophobia.

"Enough is enough, how about a president that actually stands up and defends this country," Cruz said Tuesday.

"What I believe we should do is we need a commander in chief who's actually focused on keeping this country safe.