(CNN)Federal authorities arrested two refugees on terror-related charges Thursday.
The arrests in Sacramento, California, and Houston did not appear to be directly related, but the cases had several similarities.
Both men were Palestinians born in Iraq and living as refugees in the United States, according to the U.S. Justice Department. And both of them are accused of lying to immigration officials about their alleged ties to terrorist organizations.
Omar Faraj Saeed Al Hardan, 24, of Houston, is charged with attempting to provide material support to ISIS.
Aws Mohammed Younis Al-Jayab, 23, of Sacramento is charged with making a false statement involving international terrorism.
It was not immediately clear whether Hardan or Jayab had retained legal representation. They are both scheduled to appear in court Friday.
The two cases come as some Americans worry that terrorists could enter the United States posing as refugees from war-torn nations.
That concern was amplified after the Paris terror attacks in November. ISIS claimed responsibility for those coordinated attacks on a concert hall, bars, restaurants and a sports stadium that killed 130 people.
After news of Hardan's and Jayab's arrests Thursday, Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican presidential candidate, reiterated his views that the United States should not accept refugees from Syria and called for a "systematic and careful retroactive assessment" to determine whether or not refugees already in the United States have ties to terrorists.
"I commend the law enforcement for apprehending these two individuals, but their apprehensions raise the immediate question: Who else is there? What are they planning next?" Cruz said.
The arrests in Sacramento, California, and Houston did not appear to be directly related, but the cases had several similarities.
Both men were Palestinians born in Iraq and living as refugees in the United States, according to the U.S. Justice Department. And both of them are accused of lying to immigration officials about their alleged ties to terrorist organizations.
Omar Faraj Saeed Al Hardan, 24, of Houston, is charged with attempting to provide material support to ISIS.
Aws Mohammed Younis Al-Jayab, 23, of Sacramento is charged with making a false statement involving international terrorism.
It was not immediately clear whether Hardan or Jayab had retained legal representation. They are both scheduled to appear in court Friday.
The two cases come as some Americans worry that terrorists could enter the United States posing as refugees from war-torn nations.
That concern was amplified after the Paris terror attacks in November. ISIS claimed responsibility for those coordinated attacks on a concert hall, bars, restaurants and a sports stadium that killed 130 people.
After news of Hardan's and Jayab's arrests Thursday, Sen. Ted Cruz, a Republican presidential candidate, reiterated his views that the United States should not accept refugees from Syria and called for a "systematic and careful retroactive assessment" to determine whether or not refugees already in the United States have ties to terrorists.
"I commend the law enforcement for apprehending these two individuals, but their apprehensions raise the immediate question: Who else is there? What are they planning next?" Cruz said.
