'Don't want that person in my country': JD Vance's heated debate with CBS host over refugee program paused by Trump

US Vice President JD Vance verbally clashed with CBS host Margaret Brennan when the Republican leader defended Donald Trump's decision to halt a refugee program that quickly barred hundreds of Afghans from reaching the US last week. Vance engaged in a heated exchange with the anchor on 'Face the Nation', sparring over immigration policies, refugee vetting and Trump's executive orders.

Donald Trump's foreign aid pause forced a suspension of flights for more than 40,000 Afghans approved for special US visas and at risk of Taliban retribution, a leading advocate and a US official told news agency Reuters on Saturday. The stoppage was triggered by Trump's order to halt foreign development aid for 90 days pending a review of efficiencies and consistency with his "America First" foreign policy.

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JD Vance doubts vetting processes

Brennan pressed Vance on his previous remarks advocating for properly vetted refugees, questioning whether his stance had shifted given the suspension of resettlement operations. The CBS host asked Vance whether Afghan refugees, including those who worked with the US government, should be allowed in the country and also pointed out he said last year he doesn't think the country “should abandon anybody who’s been properly vetted and helped us.”

During the interview, JD Vance tore into Brennan and argued that the vetting process refugees currently undergo is not thorough enough and that his “primary concern as the vice president is to look after the American people", reports New York Post. Expressing scepticism about the vetting of refugees entering the US, citing security concerns, JD Vance said, "We know there are cases of people allegedly vetted who were later planning terrorist attacks in our country. That happened during the campaign."


“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,” the veep added.

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Vance defends Trump's approach

When Brennan highlighted the plight of tens of thousands of Afghan refugees stuck in resettlement limbo due to Trump's order, Vance defended the administration’s cautious approach.

"My primary concern as vice president, Margaret, is to look after the American people," Vance asserted, underscoring that the government should not risk national security by admitting unvetted individuals. Brennan countered, insisting, "These people are vetted."


Vance gave an example of an Afghan national who was arrested after allegedly planning a terrorist attack on Election Day last November. The suspect, identified as Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, was living in Oklahoma City on a Special Immigrant Visa when he was allowed in after the Biden administration’s sloppy withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021.

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“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 going to force any other American citizen’s kids to do that either,” Vance, a married father of three, said.

Brennan replied it wasn’t clear if he was radicalized after he arrived in the US or while he was still in the Middle East, arguing it was a “very particular case.”

“I don’t really care, Margaret,” Vance then answered. “I don’t want that person in my country, and I think most Americans agree with me.”

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Vance defends birthright citizenship reforms

Vance and Brennan also discussed Trump's executive order aimed at ending birthright citizenship for children of illegal immigrants, a controversial move that has reignited debates over the country's immigration policies. Brennan argued that US is "a country founded by immigrants" to which Vance retaliated and called mmigration policies outdated and ineffective.

"Just because we were founded by immigrants doesn't mean that, 240 years later, we have to have the dumbest immigration policy in the world," Vance said. "No country says that temporary visitors, their children will be given complete access to the benefits and blessings of American citizenship."