What the world has seen in the past weeks in Turkey, Belgium and all across the planet is sickening to say the least. These actions ought to be be dealt with swiftly by the right people and should be denounced whenever and wherever it happens. That’s precisely what the international community has done in the light of the attacks on Brussels, as three bombs saw at least 34 lives taken in the blink of an eye while leaving another 230 wounded. Action needs to happen, but it needs to be the right course of action.

Now, here’s an example of someone taking the wrong course of action, Senator Ted Cruz (R- TX), in the hours following the devastating attacks in Belgium, called to “empower law enforcement to patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods before they become radicalized.” This is only the latest form of anti-Muslim rhetoric from the GOP, with Donald Trump spewing most of it, whether it be a call to break the Geneva Convention and kill the families of convicted terrorists or calling for an unconstitutional ban on Muslim immigration into the U.S. Most of the anti-Muslim venom was coming from the fangs of Trump, but this time, Cruz is the serpent.

But, look into the context of what Cruz has stated. “[We should] empower law enforcement to patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods before they become radicalized.” Now, look into the freedoms listed in the First Amendment, which are the freedoms of speech, press, peaceful assembly, petition and religion. The last freedom listed here is what needs to be looked at, the freedom of religion. Cruz has talked on and on about how much he loves the Constitution. But it is simply just that, empty talk.

The government cannot investigate people on the simple basis of their religion, as Cruz is proposing. This is a direct violation of the First Amendment, and of all people, one would believe that Ted Cruz would know that. After all, he loves the Constitution. If one can defend this, then they can defend the internment of all Japanese-Americans during World War II. This simply cannot be the viewpoint of the most powerful and influential nation on the planet.

After losing the 2012 election to President Barack Obama, the GOP was in shambles and even said that they needed to be more inclusive of minorities, so where did that go? The two current frontrunners, being Trump and Cruz, certainly aren’t doing that. In fact, with the new proposal from Cruz, not only are they pushing minorities away, but they’re doing it in an unconstitutional way. So, in this instance, it is clear, that all of the talk from Cruz about loving the Constitution is simply that, empty talk.