Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) is calling on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to monitor New York City’s coronavirus restrictions to make sure they do not violate the constitution.
Responding to New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio’s threat to arrest Jewish New Yorkers who attended a funeral, Cruz said, “This is dangerous in and of itself.”
In a letter to the DOJ, obtained by the Associated Press, Cruz called on the department to examine whether one faith is “being singled out for special burdens” by New York City.
“It is especially dangerous to single out the Jewish community in a city that is experiencing a substantial rise in violent anti-Semitism,” Cruz said.
He added, “The Department of Justice should not hesitate to closely monitor New York City to ensure that the mayor’s rhetoric does not translate into constitutional violations.”
On Tuesday night, de Blasio blasted Jewish funeral attendees, as IJR reported.
Something absolutely unacceptable happened in Williamsburg tonite: a large funeral gathering in the middle of this pandemic. When I heard, I went there myself to ensure the crowd was dispersed. And what I saw WILL NOT be tolerated so long as we are fighting the Coronavirus
— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) April 29, 2020
We have lost so many these last two months + I understand the instinct to gather to mourn. But large gatherings will only lead to more deaths + more families in mourning. We will not allow this. I have instructed the NYPD to have one standard for this whole city: zero tolerance.
— Mayor Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) April 29, 2020
Freddi Goldstein, de Blasio’s spokesperson, noted that mayor “has apologized to anyone he offended by his word choice. That was certainly not his intention.”
Additionally, Goldstein said that de Blasio “cannot stand idly by if there are gatherings that pose a risk to New Yorkers’ health and safety.”
Earlier this week, Attorney General William Barr drafted a memo to that said the DOJ would “monitor state and local policies and, if necessary, take action to correct them,” as IJR reported.
“Many policies that would be unthinkable in regular times have become commonplace in recent weeks, and we do not want to unduly interfere with the important efforts of state and local officials to protect the public,” Barr said.
He added, “But the Constitution is not suspended in times of crisis. We must, therefore, be vigilant to ensure its protections are preserved, at the same time that the public is protected.”
