Hillary Clinton argued Wednesday that Ted Cruz’s proposal to patrol Muslim neighborhoods is “wrong” and “dangerous,” and said the next president needs to bring Americans together to fight the Islamic State’s efforts to export terror to the United States.
“We need every American community invested in this fight, not fearful and sitting on the sidelines,” the former secretary of state said while delivering a counterterrorism speech at Stanford University. “So when Republican candidates like Ted Cruz call for treating American Muslims like criminals, and for racially profiling predominantly Muslim neighborhoods, it’s wrong, it’s counterproductive, it’s dangerous.”
Clinton’s policy address comes just two days after a major terrorism attack in Brussels where Islamic State killed at least 31 people and injured dozens as bombs exploded during morning rush hour.
“Yesterday’s attacks in Brussels was the latest brutal reminder that our fight against brutal terror and radical jihadists is far from over,” Clinton declared.
Clinton also reiterated her opposition to Donald Trump’s plan to build a wall on the southern U.S. border, and rejected Trump’s recent criticism that the U.S. should think about leaving NATO. “NATO in particular is one of the best investments America ever made,” she said.
“Walls will not protect us from this threat,” Clinton added. “We cannot contain ISIS, we must defeat ISIS. This will be one of the most important challenges facing the next president.”
“When other candidates talk about building walls around America, I want to ask them how high do the walls have to be to keep the Internet out?” she added.
Clinton’s speech is not the first time the Democratic primary candidate has given a major policy address on the Islamic State, and she reiterated her commitment to keeping Americans safe and emphasized how important it is to work with U.S. allies.
Her plan to fight the terror group involves taking out its strongholds in both Iraq and Syria, dismantling global networks of terror that supply both weapons and fighters, combating terrorism on the Internet and adapting to the strategies of U.S. enemies. She also stressed the importance of “strong smart steady leadership,” and said “slogans aren’t a strategy” and “loose cannons tend to misfire.”
