President Trump touted his hardline stance on illegal immigration Monday, suggesting that he does not oppose immigration per se but must act to keep those who would do harm to Americans out.
“We want to have a big, beautiful open door, and we want people to come in and come in our country, but we cannot let the wrong people in, and I will not allow that to happen during this administration,” said Trump, who spoke at the White House during a joint appearance with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“We are getting such praise for our stance, and it’s a stance of common sense,” Trump added. “We’re actually taking people that are criminal — very, very hardened criminals in some cases — with a tremendous track record of abuse and problems, and we’re getting them out,” Trump said. “And that’s what I said I would do, I’m just doing what I said I would do.”
Citing the national security threats he has learned about since taking office, Trump said his policies would ultimately prioritize entry for people who love America.
Trump reflected on his election victory — which saw him win the presidency by a substantial margin in the Electoral College but lose the national popular vote — and argued that his position on immigration helped deliver him that victory.
“When we won by a very, very large Electoral College vote, and I knew that was going to happen, I knew this is what people were wanting,” Trump said. “That wasn’t my only thing that we did so well on, but that was something that was very important.”
Trump has instructed his Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly to begin enforcing all immigration laws, with a particular focus on removing undocumented immigrants who have criminal records.
“I said at the beginning that we are going to get the bad ones, the really bad ones, we’re getting them out, and that’s exactly what we’re doing,” Trump said.
Trudeau’s immigration policies have stood in stark contrast to those of the Trump administration. Under his watch, Canada has accepted thousands of Syrian refugees.
Trudeau has offered to accept refugees turned away by the U.S. as a result of the order in what many interpreted as an implicit criticism of the policy.
He withheld direct criticism when pressed on Monday at the White House.
“The last thing Canadians expect is for me to come down and lecture another country on how they choose to govern themselves,” Trudeau said. “My role and responsibility is to contnue to govern in such a way that reflects Canadians’ approach and be a positive example in the world.”
