US President Donald Trump said on Twitter that he had ordered the Department of Homeland Security to step up its "extreme vetting program" following a vehicle attack in New York that is being treated as a terror attack.
“I have just ordered Homeland Security to step up our already Extreme Vetting Program. Being politically correct is fine, but not for this!” Trump said, hours after a man driving a pickup truck ploughed into and killed eight people.
Trump ran for office in 2016 pledging to crack down on illegal immigration for security reasons, and has called for "extreme vetting" of foreigners entering the United States.
Condemning the attack, Trump called the suspect ‘sick and deranged.’ He also said that law enforcement is tracking the attack closely.
His administration announced last week that it would resume accepting refugees after a 120-day ban, though arrivals from 11 "high-risk" countries, most of them Muslim majority, will still be blocked.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said authorities are treating the incident as a terrorist attack. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said theres no evidence to suggest there’s a wider threat or plot, but warning that people will still see more security forces as a cautionary measure.
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