McKenna: Trump’s call for ‘extreme vetting’ not as radical as it sounds
Aug 18, 2016, 2:46 PM | Updated: 2:54 pm
Calling for “extreme vetting” of people trying to enter the United States through rigorous screenings might seem like a bit of a stretch. But as it turns out, Donald Trump’s proposal for keeping “radical Muslims” out of the country might be legal.
Trump has called for an ideological test for anyone seeking a visa.
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“We should only admit into this country those who share our values and respect our people,” Trump said.
He added that during the Cold War, we had similar ideological screening tests.
“The time is overdue to develop a screening test for the threats we face today,” Trump said. “I call it extreme vetting. I call it extreme vetting. Extreme vetting.”
In case you missed that, Trump calls it “extreme vetting.”
To verify that Trump could do such a thing if he was elected president, KIRO Radio’s Dave Ross went to former Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna.
McKenna says the Supreme Court has upheld those kinds of tests in the past. They date back to the earliest days of the country.
“The president has a lot of power over immigration policy,” McKenna said.
Dave was under the impression that loyalty tests were only used for government employees. McKenna says anyone could be asked to take a loyalty test, depending on the statute.
Locally, after World War I, screenings helped the state kick out members of the Industrial Workers of the World, who were promoting anarchy.
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Tune in to KIRO Newsradio weekdays at 5am for Dave Ross on Seattle's Morning News.
