Watch the full fourth Republican presidential debate only on NewsNation. View our Voter Guide to find all the information you need to make an informed choice at the polls. Not sure how to find us on your TV? Use our ChannelFinder and download our app to get fact-based, unbiased news for all America.
(NewsNation) — Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley appeared to endorse an immigration ban similar to the one that was in place during the presidency of Donald Trump on Wednesday night during the NewsNation GOP primary debate.
Responding to a clip of Trump saying that “if you empathize with radical Islamic terrorists and extremists, you’re disqualified” from coming to America, Haley at first rejected the idea of a purely religious litmus test.
“I don’t think that you have a straight-up Muslim ban as much as you look at the countries that have terrorist activities that want to hurt Americans. You can ban those people from those countries,” she said.
She pointed to recent migrants coming across the southern border from countries such as Iran, Yemen or Lebanon, which she called “areas where they say death to America,” but she did not offer a comprehensive list of countries from where she would ban travel.
During Trump’s presidency, the government blocked travel from a range of countries to the United States, including Libya, Iran and North Korea. The restrictions were considered a compromise from Trump’s original position, which is that all Muslim travelers should be banned from the country.
Haley said during the debate that “it’s not about a religion; it’s about a fact that certain countries are dangerous and are a threat to us.”
Responding to Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said that the immigration issue is “not just about terrorism.”
He argued that Germany has more antisemitism because of immigrants.
“Europe is committing suicide with the mass migration, and it’s illegal and legal,” he said.
He also pointed back to remarks from October where he argued the United States should not take in Gaza refugees.
“Some of the Squad wanted to import 300,000 people from the Gaza Strip. I said ‘No, we’re not taking anyone from Gaza because of the antisemitism and because they reject American culture,'” he said.