President Trump suggested Thursday that his administration will significantly curtail the number of people admitted from Middle Eastern countries where terrorism is a problem, previewing an executive action he is expected to sign in the coming days.
“We’ve taken in tens of thousands of people we know nothing about them,” Trump said during an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity.
“They can say they vet them. They didn’t vet them. They have no papers. How can you vet somebody when you don’t know anything about them and you have no papers?
“How do you vet them? You can’t.”
Trump is soon expected to sign an executive action that will temporarily suspend immigration from countries plagued by extremist groups, such as Syria and Iran. He has called on his federal agencies to employ “extreme vetting” when deciding which individuals to allow into the country.
“Some people have come in with evil intentions and you know, most haven’t I guess. But we can’t take chances,” Trump said.
“You know the word gamble is an appropriate word. That’s a big gamble. You’re throwing something up.”
Trump pointed to the high number of FBI investigations involving people allegedly involved with terrorism in his argument in favor of limiting immigration from certain areas.
“We’re going to have extreme vetting for people coming into our country,” Trump said. “And if we think there’s a problem, it’s not going to be so easy for people to come in anymore.”
