Syrian Refugees Head to Texas, Ted Cruz Brands San Bernardino Attack ‘Jihadist’

This week in Texas politics saw a lawsuit to block refugees entering the Lone Star State and reactions from presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz to the San Bernardino shooting.
 

By Emily DonahueDecember 4, 2015 2:23 pm

Across the nation, Wednesday’s events sparked a conversation about gun control in Washington and many states. Not so much in Texas, where in a few short weeks gun owners in Texas can legally carry guns in plain sight if they think that to be wise. Syrian refugees and whether violent jihadists are among them topped Texas news this week.

Texas Tribune editor Emily Ramshaw, our go-to guide for navigating the tangle that is Texas politics, says as of this morning, 21 refugees are heading to Dallas and Houston, the majority of them children, despite a state lawsuit meant to block Syrian refugees from entering Texas.

“This is sure to infuriate state leaders, Republicans, who have filed suit to block this,” she says. “I think the feds are saying to Texas, ‘Don’t tread on our turf. We get to negotiate this type of resettlement with non-profit groups – this really doesn’t involve you.'”

Let’s turn the page to that other big story – Sen. Ted Cruz calling the San Bernardino news a “jihadist” action. As we learn more about the couple involved, it almost seems less like a play for the party base and a little closer to reality.

“His rhetoric has really ratcheted it up,” Ramshaw says. “His calculations have really been quite good. He has planned this out carefully, perfectly…. Whatever he’s doing is working.