President Donald Trump on Thursday drew a direct link between his aspirations for a strict immigration policy and what he characterized as the Western world’s fight against Islamist terrorism.
“We are confronted by another oppressive ideology — one that seeks to export terrorism and extremism all around the globe,” he said in a speech in Warsaw, Poland. “America and Europe have suffered one terror attack after another. We’re going to get it to stop.”
Poland’s ruling Law and Justice party is well-known for its nativist views on immigration, especially from Muslim-majority countries. After a terror attack in London left five dead, Poland’s prime minister linked the attack to the European Union’s immigration policy. (The attacker, Khalid Masood, was born and raised in Britain.)
“While we will always welcome new citizens who share our values and love our people, our borders will always be closed to terrorism and extremism of any kind,” Trump said.
After several lower courts temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s ban on travel from several Muslim-majority countries, the Supreme Court allowed much of the ban to go back into effect, except for those with close relationships to individuals or entities in the United States.
“We are fighting hard against radical Islamic terrorism, and we will prevail,” Trump said. “We cannot accept those who reject our values and who use hatred to justify violence against the innocent.”
He characterized Poland and the United States as part of “the West” 10 times in the speech, positioning the nations against the Islamic State and other foreign threats.
“We have to remember that our defense is not just a commitment of money, it is a commitment of will,” Trump said. “Because as the Polish experience reminds us, the defense of the West ultimately rests not only on means but also on the will of its people to prevail and be successful and get what you have to have.”
“The fundamental question of our time is whether the West has the will to survive,” he added. “Do we have the confidence in our values to defend them at any cost? Do we have enough respect for our citizens to protect our borders? Do we have the desire and the courage to preserve our civilization in the face of those who would subvert and destroy it?”
