Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, friends, victims of the heinous terrorist attack in New York City on Tuesday. As New Yorkers, we stand with one another in the face of terror, not to be deterred by fear and determined to live free.
And, as a nation we will stand together against all acts that seek to harm and divide us. Unfortunately, some of our so-called leaders are attempting to use this tragedy for political gain or to enact a discredited political agenda. We need to realize that this attack was about a radicalized and deranged individual.
The way to combat radicalization is through intelligence and education. We cannot shut America off from the world.
Immigrants who come to the United States and apply for long-term legal status are thoroughly vetted, including through multiple in-person interviews and the collection of biometric information.
Over the past 15 years, across multiple administrations, the U.S. government has dramatically improved vetting of all travelers to the U.S., ensuring better coordination between law enforcement agencies to ensure a more thorough and extensive review process.
We, as a nation, need to continue to focus on countering violent extremism whether that results in the nearly 500 people being shot in Las Vegas, nine church goers being murdered in South Carolina, or this most recent horrific attack that killed eight innocent people in NYC.
