Trump supporter cites Japanese internment camps as ‘precedent’ for Muslim registry

A supporter of President-elect Donald Trump cited the United States’ use of internment camps for Japanese-Americans during World War II as precedent for Trump’s rumored registry of Muslim immigrants.

{mosads}“It is legal; they say it will hold constitutional muster. I know the the [American Civil Liberties Union] is going to challenge it, but I think it will pass,” Carl Higbie, a former Navy SEAL, said in an interview on Fox News with Megyn Kelly. 

“And we’ve done it with Iran back — back a while ago, we did it during World War II with Japanese, which, call it what you will, it may be wrong—” he said as Kelly jumped in. 

“Come on, you’re not proposing we go back to the days of internment camps,” she said. “You know better than to suggest that. That’s the kind of thing that gets people scared, Carl.” 

“No, no, no, I’m not proposing that at all, Megyn, but what I am saying is we need to protect America first,” he said. “I’m just saying there’s precedent for it, I’m not saying I agree with it, but in this case I absolutely believe—“

“You can’t be citing Japanese internment camps as precedent for anything the president-elect is going to do,” Kelly responded.

“Look, the president needs to protect America first, and if that means having people that are not protected under our Constitution have some sort tor registry so we can understand- until we can identify the true threat and where it’s coming from, I support it,” Higbie said.

Trump adviser and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach told Reuters this week that Trump was weighing creating a national database for immigrants from largely Muslim countries or those with terrorism risks.