Monday's terrorist attack in Manchester, England, shows "we're never really safe at any moment" in the United States as well as in Europe, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said Tuesday.
"I think it illustrates that what we need to do as our first line of defense is defend our borders and be careful who we let visit our country and who we let come to live in our country," the Paul can told Fox News' "America's Newsroom."
Paul said his words of caution do not mean he does not want to have a "great mixture" of people coming into the United States, but still, he cautioned it is important to make sure who is coming in.
The second version of President Donald Trump's travel ban is tied up in the courts because of claims it is discriminatory, but Paul said there are ways to enact a travel ban while still allowing people who can pass a background check to enter without banning travel from certain countries altogether.
"I also offered a way for frequent travelers to get part of a program, something called global entry, like the frequent travel program that we have here in this country," Paul said. "I would like to do that internationally."
He explained, even in countries perceived as risks, such as Iran or Syria, "we could find people who are traditional businessmen and women go through a background check and even in those countries that are risk for us."
It might also make a difference for travelers to already have a sponsor in the United States, if the person traveling would not fall within certain risk categories, Paul said.
"If you are a 19-year-old male from the Middle East, we might be worried," the senator said. "If you're an 80-year-old mother-in-law," that could be different.
At the same time, the United States cannot "just have an open border" for people coming from the Middle East.
"A lot of security isn't necessarily checking you on the plane," Paul said. "We have to do some of that, but check who you are related to and who you know and doing a background check. There are people who, for cultural and educational reasons, we want to exchange with the Middle East."
Paul also discussed getting the United States out of the Paris Climate Agreement, which was signed by former President Barack Obama.
"Congress didn't vote on it," Paul said. "I object to signing away our rights to some international body when Congress doesn't even vote on it. There are estimates we could lose over six million jobs in the Paris accord and cost $3 trillion. That's not good for my state of Kentucky, but it's also just not good for the United States."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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