On Monday, Senator Ben Carlin admitted that the US could do a better job of vetting the immigrants that it allows to enter the country, but was critical of the travel ban proposed by President Donald Trump, despite conceding the inadequacy of the current system.
The Maryland Senator was speaking to Alisyn Camerota on CNN during their ‘New Day’ and made the remarks in response to tweets from President Donald Trump, in which he again reiterated his desire for a travel ban to temporarily restrict immigration from particular nations for the sake of national security. Trump said that while the travel ban he ordered via executive action earlier this year remains tangled in a legal fight, ‘extreme vetting’ of those trying to come to the US will remain in force from his administration.
Camerota asked Cardin whether he believed that vetting in the US was enough of a success. Cardin said that refugees are less likely to commit criminal offences than ordinary Americans but admitted that more could be done in the name of national security to vet those entering the country to ensure they are genuine refugees.
But, while Cardin feels it is necessary for the US to improve its vetting procedures, he was adamant that the President’s much-touted travel ban was not the answer. He said that immigrant refugees are not the problem and that blocking their entrance to the country will not improve the nation’s safety.