Vice President J.D. Vance clashed with CBS News anchor Margaret Brennan during a “Face the Nation” interview on Sunday over President Donald Trump’s initiative to stamp out illegal immigration into the U.S.
According to Fox News, the Trump administration has put a hold on all refugee resettlement operations and is calling for increased vetting on visa applications. Brennan asked Vance if he stood by his past comments about the U.S. not abandoning a person who has been properly vetted, to which Vance replied that it doesn’t appear that a good portion of those coming into the U.S. have been properly vetted.
“I don’t agree that all these immigrants or all these refugees have been properly vetted,” Vance said, “In fact, we know that there are cases of people who allegedly were properly vetted and then were literally planning terrorist attacks on our country. That happened during the campaign, if you may remember. So clearly not all of these foreign nationals have been properly vetted.”
Brennan then asked Vance about the 30,000 Afghans who are waiting for resettlement in the U.S. after former President Joe Biden abruptly pulled U.S. troops out of Afghanistan after 20 years. Vance, who has often called out the media for peddling “propaganda,” replied his responsibility is with the American people first and foremost.
“But my primary concern as the vice president, Margaret, is to look after the American people, and now that we know that we have vetting problems with a lot of these refugee programs, we absolutely cannot unleash thousands of unvetted people into our country, it’s not good.” Vance said.
Brennan insisted these people are “vetted,” however, Vance disagreed and pointed to Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, an Afghan national who was arrested for planning an election day terror attack in the name of terror organization Isis in October 2024.
“Just like the guy who planned a terrorist attack in Oklahoma a few months ago?” Vance asked, “He was allegedly properly vetted, and many people in the media and the Democratic Party, said that he was properly vetted. Clearly, he wasn’t. I don’t want my children to share a neighborhood with people who are not properly vetted. And because I don’t want it for my kids, I’m not gonna force any other American citizens’ kids to that either.”
Brennan again argued that it “wasn’t clear” if Tawhedi was radicalized inside or outside of the U.S.
“I don’t really care, Margaret” Vance replied, “I don’t want that person in my country, and I think most Americans agree with me.”
