Pro-Trump PAC Spokesman Cites Japanese-American Internment as Precedent for a Muslim Registry

In an appearance on Fox News’ “The Kelly File,” a spokesman for the pro-Trump Great America PAC cited World War II Japanese-American internment camps as precedent for President-elect Donald Trump’s proposed Muslim registration system.

“We’ve done it based on race, we’ve done it based on religion, we’ve done it based on region,” Carl Higbie told Fox News’ Megyn Kelly, who had asked about the constitutionality of such a plan. “We’ve done it with Iran back—back a while ago. We did it during World War II with [the] Japanese.”

Japanese-Americans were forcibly relocated and incarcerated during World War II following the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Kelly asked if Higbie was suggesting re-implementing internment camps and said “that’s the kind of stuff that gets people scared.” He denied the suggestion, saying: “I’m just saying there is precedent for it.”

When Kelly replied, “You can’t be citing Japanese internment camps as precedent for anything the president-elect is gonna do!” Higbie responded: “Look, the president needs to protect America first. And if that means having people that are not protected under out Constitution have some sort of registry so we can understand—until we can identify the true threat and where it’s coming from, I support it.”

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach told Reuters the plan is being modeled after the highly controversial National Security Entry-Exit Registration System put in place after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

—Posted by Alexander Reed Kelly