Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday strongly backed a bill by the state’s junior senator, Ted Cruz, to give governors the authority to reject refugees.

Cruz, who is running for the Republican presidential nomination, offered the legislation Tuesday.

Abbott, who appeared on “The Laura Ingraham Show,” is one of 31 governors who have said refugees from war-torn Syria are not welcome in their states. Many experts, however, believe governors lack authority to block refugees resettled by the federal government.

That’s where Cruz’s bill comes in.

“We are not going to be accomplices to a program that could be importing terrorists into the United States,” Abbott said.

Abbott noted that the Obama administration has granted asylum or residency to more than 1,500 people who provided material support to terrorists after determining that they participated in terror under duress. Judicial Watch in September pointed out that the Obama administration had ended the country’s zero-tolerance policy for people with any ties to terrorism.

“This is insanity that we are letting these people in in a way that is completely unvetible,” Abbott said.

Abbott praised Tuesday’s 407-19 vote in the House of Representatives to overhaul a program that lets tourists from 38 nations to come to the United States for up to 90 days without visas.

“Finally, finally, finally, Congress is waking up to the fact that the American people have had it up to here with regard to people coming into this country who are posing a danger in this nation,” he said. “So, Congress is taking action but they’re running headlong into a president and a presidential administration that continues to downplay and ignore and soft-pedal or backpedal about what is going on.”

Asked about Republican front-runner Donald Trump’s proposal to temporarily block Muslims from entering the United States, Abbott said he favors a more targeted approach.

Who do you think would win the Presidency?

By completing the poll, you agree to receive emails from LifeZette, occasional offers from our partners and that you've read and agree to our privacy policy and legal statement.

“You gotta go after what the real problem is,” he said. “The real problem is radical Islamic terrorists. We have the capability and knowhow to attack that problem.”