Donald Trump Says Immigration Database Would Be for Syrian Refugees, Not All Muslims
GOP presidential candidate says some mosques should be under surveillance.
— -- Donald Trump said he wants a database and surveillance for all Syrian refugees allowed into the country, clarifying today that he does not want a database for all Muslims in the United States.
"I do want database for those people coming in," the Republican presidential candidate said at a rally in Birmingham, Alabama. "Here is the story, just to set it clear: I want surveillance of these people. I want surveillance if we have to."
Trump also said it would be necessary to institute surveillance of some of the country's mosques.
"I want surveillance of certain mosques, OK?" Trump said, drawing applause from the crowd. "I want surveillance. And you know what? We've had it before and we'll have it again."
Trump's clarification came after he told an NBC News reporter Thursday he would "certainly" and "absolutely" implement a database for the country's Muslims. His answer to the reporter came after he had been asked earlier in the day if he thought a database or IDs for Muslims was necessary, and he did not reject the idea.
Trump said today he didn't properly hear the question posed to him by the NBC News reporter on Thursday, who he referred to as "a little wise guy" and whose question he said he thought was about building a wall along the southern border with Mexico.
In a tweet on Friday, Trump said that he had never suggested creating a database but that the reporter did.