Every immigrant coming into the United States should be on a database, GOP candidate Ben Carson said Friday, and he thinks frontrunner Donald Trump's call to track and target Muslims specifically
sets "a pretty dangerous precedent" and he would not support it.
However,
reports Politico, it was not clear if Carson, speaking to reporters on Friday after filing for the New Hampshire Feb. 1 primary, was referring to documentation efforts taken by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, a part of the Department of Homeland Security since 2003.
"I want to know where they came from, I want to know where they’re going and why they’re here," Carson said of such a database, and after a reporter told him that immigrants are already on such a database, he replied "if you want to add more things to it, we can talk about it and what the rationale is for it."
But picking out a particular group based on religion, race, or anything else is not good, although he favors "doing whatever we have to do to protect the American people."
That could include mosques where there is activity to radicalize people. Carson said if that is happening, "they must be treated differently. But that would go for any other institution that favors terrorism, he said.
Trump Friday walked back his comments that Muslims register in the United States after a huge backlash from his Republican presidential rivals, including a rare rebuke from Ted Cruz, and blamed the database talk on a reporter.
Carson also spoke out about claims made by former foreign policy adviser Duane Clarridge, who told The New York TImes that he does not think Carson retains information on foreign policy.
"He sat in on two sessions, and we appreciate his input, but he has not been a part of, you know, the foreign policy team has no idea what he’s talking about," said Carson, adding a jab to the media: "They do tend to take things out of context for a story that they want to write. Usually, they've already written the story."