President Donald Trump on Monday pushed for immigration restrictions following an attempted terror attack in one of New York City’s busiest transportation hubs.
"First and foremost, as I have been saying since I first announced my candidacy for President, America must fix its lax immigration system, which allows far too many dangerous, inadequately vetted people to access our country," Trump said in a statement.
On Monday morning, 27-year-old Akayed Ullah detonated a pipe bomb strapped to his body in a walkway connecting subway lines near the Port Authority Bus Terminal and Times Square. Ullah, an immigrant from Bangladesh, suffered burns, and at least three other people had minor injuries.
In his statement, Trump called on Congress to end so-called chain migration by extended family members.
Earlier Monday, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders claimed the president's proposal to end the practice would have prevented the attempted attack. It is unclear if it would have.
Trump called his measure restricting travel from eight countries - most of them Muslim-majority - "just one step forward in securing our immigration system."
He also urged Congress to increase the number of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers, boost "the arrest and detention authorities for immigration officers" and end "fraud and abuse in our immigration system."
Source: CNBC