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Trump Calls for Ideological Vetting of Immigrants

Trump Calls for Ideological Vetting of Immigrants
Trump Calls for Ideological Vetting of Immigrants

Donald Trump has vowed an overhaul of the US immigrant screening process to bar those who “don’t embrace American values”. In a speech on national security, Trump also called Germany’s immigration policy a “disaster”.

Reading off of a teleprompter, Trump gave a lengthy speech on national security in Ohio on Monday in a desperate attempt to turn around his flailing campaign.

The GOP candidate covered various topics in his speech, including security measures he claimed were a central part of a plan to defeat the self-styled Islamic State terrorist group, a battle he said was “akin to the Cold War struggle against communism”, Deutsche Welle reported.

Trump also said he would work with NATO to defeat IS, reversing previous statements where he said the US might not meet its obligations to the military alliance, should he win the White House.

“I have previously said NATO was obsolete because it failed to deal adequately with terrorism. Since my comments, they have changed their policy and now have a new division focused on terror threats, very good,” he said.

Trump was vague about what he would do differently to decimate IS in its strongholds in Iraq and Syria. He vowed to partner with any country that shares his goal of defeating the extremist group, regardless of other strategic disagreements, and named Russia as a nation he would like to improve relations with.

The Republican presidential candidate’s aides told reporters that a Trump government would use questionnaires, social media, interviews with family and friends, “or other means” to vet applicants’ attitudes on issues including religious freedom and gender equality.

He also called on parents, teachers and others to promote “American culture” and encourage “assimilation”.

Trump himself did not clarify what constitutes American culture and how officials would assess the responses to the questionnaires or how much manpower it would require to complete the vetting. He, however, said implementing the policy overhaul would require a temporary halt in immigration from “the most dangerous and volatile regions of the world that have a history of exporting terrorism.”

Trumpwould ask the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security to decide which regions once he is elected.

“We will stop processing visas from those areas until such time as it is deemed safe to resume based on new circumstances or new procedures,” Trump said. He had earlier promised to release his list of “terror countries” soon.

Financialtribune.com