Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump walked back his call for a “total and complete shutdown” of Muslim immigration in the wake of the ISIS attacks in Brussels that left at least 31 people dead and over 100 wounded Tuesday morning.
Trump said on CBS This Morning that his main focus will be on better immigration surveillance rather than a total shutdown.
Via The Hill:
“I didn’t say shut it down,” he said. “I said you have to be very careful. We have to be very, very strong and vigilant at the borders. We have to be tough.
“We have people who are coming into our country who are undocumented. We have no idea who they are or where they come from. They could be ISIS-related.”
Those comments are in stark contrast to what The Donald said back in December when, in the wake of the mass shooting in San Bernardino by ISIS sympathizers, he called for “a total and complete shutdown” of Muslim immigration.
“Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on,” a Trump campaign press release said.
Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski went on to say that the ban would not only apply to Muslims looking to immigrate to the U.S., but also to those looking to visit the U.S. as tourists. “Everyone,” Lewandowski said when asked if the ban would also apply to Muslim tourists.
It’s been said that fact-checking Donald Trump is a futile endeavor, but it is noteworthy that he is already moving to the center in preparation for the general election.
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