Trump targets terror with ‘new vetting measures’

WASHINGTON • Pushing full speed into international controversies, U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday ordered “new vetting measures” to keep “radical Islamic terrorists” out of the United States.

Trump travelled to the Pentagon where he joined Defence Secretary James Mattis for the signing of an executive action to bring sweeping changes to the nation’s refugee policies and put in motion his plans to build up the nation’s military.

“I’m establishing new vetting measures to keep radical Islamic terrorists out of the United States of America. We don’t want ’em here,” Trump declared. “We want to ensure that we are not admitting into our country the very threats our soldiers are fighting overseas. We only want to admit those into our country who will support our country and love deeply our people.”

During his election campaign against Hillary Clinton, Trump pledged to put in place “extreme vetting” procedures to screen people coming to the U.S. from countries with terrorism ties. The White House did not immediately release details on the order that Trump signed, but a draft of the order called for suspending the issuing of visas to people from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen for at least 30 days.

The Trump administration has been considering further restrictions on refugees admitted to the U.S., but it was not clear if any of those measures were included in the document the president signed on Friday. Trump said in an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network on Friday that he regards Christians as a priority for the U.S. refugee program.

“They’ve been horribly treated,” Trump told the network. “Do you know if you were a Christian in Syria it was impossible, at least very tough to get into the United States? If you were a Muslim you could come in, but if you were a Christian, it was almost impossible.”