Federal authorities in Houston announced on Thursday the arrest of an Iraqi man who immigrated to Houston four years ago, charging him as a terror suspect allegedly aligned with the Islamic State.
Omar Faraj Saeed Al Hardan was one of three suspects arrested nationwide. The others were detained in California and Wisconsin, respectively.
The Tribune’s Terri Langford reported that Al Hardan will appear before a federal magistrate later this morning. Al Hardan entered the country as a refugee sometime around November 2009 and was given permanent legal status in August of 2011.
Both Gov. Greg Abbott and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz responded Thursday night with calls to tighten up the procedures on allowing refugees into the country.
Abbott said, “I once again urge the President to halt the resettlement of these refugees in the United States until there is an effective vetting process that will ensure refugees do not compromise the safety of Americans and Texans.”
“Cruz,” according to the Tribune, “also called for a ‘retroactive assessment’ of refugees that have already been let into the United States. He said the government should especially focus on those from countries with ‘high concentrations of radical Islamic terrorism.'”