By Saranac Hale Spencer ANALYSIS — A TV ad attacking incumbent Texas Sen. John Cornyn for supporting “Muslim mass immigration” misleadingly cites a 2021 quote from Cornyn about certain Afghan refugees and claims that “Cornyn has a special place in his heart for radical Islam.” The ad, which started airing on May 12 according to data from AdImpact, came from the campaign of Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general who is challenging Cornyn for his seat in the Senate. Neither one garnered more than 50 percent of the vote in the March 3 Republican primary, sending them to a runoff election on May 26. Paxton got President Donald Trump’s endorsement on May 19. The ad claims, “Cornyn even believes we have a moral obligation to support Muslim mass immigration.” Shown on screen is a quote from Cornyn saying, “I do think we have a moral obligation to help them.” But that quote is out of context. According to a TV news report from the Fox affiliate in Dallas, Cornyn said it while meeting with Afghan immigrants and organizations helping evacuees shortly after the U.S. pulled troops out of Afghanistan in 2021. He spoke to two Afghan men who had worked as interpreters for the U.S. military and came to the U.S. on special immigrant visas, or SIVs, which Congress created in 2006 for those in Iraq and Afghanistan who worked with the U.S. government. At the time, it wasn’t clear how many Afghans eligible for SIVs were left in Afghanistan. “The State Department is still negotiating for the evacuation of some of these individuals, including people who have permanent legal status in the United States,” Cornyn said in the meeting. “I do think we have a moral obligation to help them, protect them and their families,” Cornyn said. Between October 2018 and September 2022, more than 5,000 SIV holders were resettled in Texas, according to a 2023 report from the State Department’s Office of the Inspector General. When we asked Paxton’s campaign for evidence to support the claim that Cornyn has advocated “Muslim mass immigration” beyond that quote, we didn’t get a response. The ad also says, “Even as Muslim extremists force Sharia law on Texans, Cornyn sides with his friends at groups tied to radical Islamic terror.” The first part of that statement is likely a reference to unfounded claims in recent years that Sharia — the moral code and rules for followers of Islam — is encroaching on Texas. For example, earlier this year, Paxton referred to plans for a residential development for Muslims outside of Dallas as a “Sharia city.” The Dubai-based developer of the project called that description “inaccurate” in a statement to a local news outlet, saying, “We would also like to clarify that recent characterizations of the project are inaccurate and do not reflect the nature, intent, or structure of The Sustainable City model, which is inclusive by design and aligned with the regulatory and cultural frameworks of the markets in which it operates.” The proposed “sustainable city” development was halted after backlash and an investigation by Paxton’s office. Cornyn has opposed Sharia in the U.S., introducing a bill May 14 that would ban immigrants who practice Sharia from entering or remaining in the country. He also co-sponsored a bill in October that would prohibit the practice of Sharia in the U.S. if it violated constitutional rights. The second part of the ad’s claim appears to be a reference to Cornyn’s previous praise for Islamic Relief USA, a Virginia-based nonprofit that does charity work across the country. The ad features a clip of Cornyn from 2021 in which he recognized Ramadan, the Muslim holy month, and thanked the organization for help it provided during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ad, though, describes Islamic Relief USA as being tied to “radical Islamic terror.” The image of a news report in the ad indicates that’s a reference to accusations against Islamic Relief Worldwide, a U.K.-based charity from which the U.S. organization agreed to operate independently in 2019. Islamic Relief Worldwide has denied having ties to terrorism or the Muslim Brotherhood.
