US Presidential Election 2016: Donald Trump wants “extreme vetting” for immigrants

Republican nominee Donald Trump called for a political screening of immigrants seeking to enter the USA from certain countries in a foreign policy speech Monday, saying the us should only admit “those who share our values and respect our people”.

US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has outlined his plan to fight “radical Islamic terrorism” in a major policy speech.

Trump also stated that the era of nation building should come to an end as he unveiled a blueprint for defeating global terrorism in partnership with North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and Middle East allies.

Mr Trump said any country that wanted to to work with the United States to defeat “radical Islamic terrorism” would be considered an ally regardless of other disagreements.

The senior campaign official who previewed Trump’s speech did not address Trump’s initial description of the ban, but described the current proposal as one of withholding visas for individuals from any country “where we can not perform adequate screenings” and where there is heavy terrorist activity.

Trump is expected to lay out “three pillars” for a war against radical Islamic terrorism – including a detailed questionnaire for potential immigrants from nations with ties to terrorism that would ask about their beliefs on a host of issues, including gender and gay rights. The test would include social media searches, written quizzes, and interviews, through which applicants will be assessed for “values like tolerance and pluralism”.

“We should only admit into this country those who share our values and respect our people”, he said.

Stephen Miller, Trump’s policy adviser, portrayed the terrorism address as a road map, with more detailed speeches to follow.

However, the economic plan was quickly overshadowed by real estate mogul’s claim that President Barack Obama had “founded” IS.

Trump did not clarify how USA officials would assess the veracity of responses to the questionnaires or how much manpower it would require to complete such arduous vetting.

Trump’s controversial proposal to ban Muslims from the United States has been through several iterations, with Monday’s speech just the latest to provide a venue for further clarity.

Recent polls show him significantly trailing Hillary Clinton in key battleground states.

He did say that implementing the policy overhaul would require a temporary halt in immigration from “the most unsafe and volatile regions of the world that have a history of exporting terrorism”. “Military, cyber, and financial warfare will all be necessary to dismantle Islamic terrorism”, he said.

Sticking largely to prepared remarks and reading from a teleprompter, something he rarely does, Trump also criticised Clinton’s record as secretary of state and said she lacked the judgment and character to lead the country.

Obama, Clinton and top USA officials have warned against using that kind of language to describe the conflict, arguing that it plays into militants’ hands.

Trump on Monday is also expected to outline a new immigration policy proposal under which the USA would stop issuing visas in any case where it can not perform adequate screenings.

Trump took aim at Clinton and Obama for not calling the threat “radical Islamic terrorism”, saying, “Anyone who can not name our enemy is not fit to lead this country”.

“He says: ‘I know more about Isis than the generals, ‘” said Clinton shaking her head, adding: “No, Donald, you don’t”.