In the wake of the terror attacks in Brussels that killed at least 30 people, Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz on Tuesday called for law enforcement to “patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods” in the U.S. – and took jabs at Mayor de Blasio while speaking on the matter in the New York City.
Shortly after Cruz spoke at an event on the Upper East Side Tuesday, Police Commissioner Bill Bratton and de Blasio blasted the Texas senator’s statements as “demagoguery.”
In a statement released by Cruz’s campaign, Cruz said, “We need to empower law enforcement to patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods before they become radicalized.”
“We know what is happening with these isolated Muslim neighborhoods in Europe. If we want to prevent it from happening here, it is going to require an empowered, visible law enforcement presence that will both identify problem spots and partner with non-radical Americans who want to protect their homes,” the statement read.
Speaking in the Big Apple, reiterated his stance, saying “Just like when law enforcement is going after gang activity, you work with a community where gang activity is located.”
When asked how he would patrol Muslim neighborhoods, Cruz said that “you would continue the proactive policing you saw here in New York” that surveilled Muslim communities under former mayor Michael Bloomberg.
“New York had a proactive policing program that Mayor Michael Bloomberg championed to work cooperatively with the Muslim community to stop radical Islamic terrorists,” said Cruz.
“And Mayor Bill de Blasio, when he came in a peak of political correctness and cancelled the program –that is refusing to acknowledge the threat that we have in the world.”
Cruz added that de Blasio cancelled Bloomberg’s program “because political correctness is more important to him than protecting our safety.”
De Blasio called Cruz’s comments “reprehensible” at a press briefing on New York City security following the Brussels attacks.
“His comments are not about safety and security – its demagoguery,” he said. “We have 900 Muslim-American officers in the NYPD. We have peace loving, law-abiding Muslim-Americans in neighborhoods all across New York City – they should be respected like all other members of our communities.”
Bratton echoed the mayor, saying “I would remind the senator he lives in the United States of America. And the statements he made today is why he’s not going to become president of the country, because we don’t need a president that doesn’t respect the values that form the foundation of this country.”
Bratton said that many of the NYPD’s Muslim-American officers served in the U.S. Military in combat – noting that Cruz never has.
“So before he starts denigrating any population group, take a close look at who he’s denigrating,” Bratton said. “I take great offense at his characterization of that whole population, particularly with my intimacy with the population in my organization of Muslim officers who are willing to sacrifice their lives in foreign countries and every day step up willing to sacrifice their lives here.”
He added that Cruz is “really out of line.”