US Vice President JD Vance engaged in a heated exchange with CBS anchor Margaret Brennan on Sunday during an interview on ‘Face the Nation’, sparring over immigration policies, refugee vetting, and President Donald Trump’s executive orders.
The conversation focused on Trump’s recent decision to pause refugee resettlement programs and enforce stricter vetting for visa applicants. Brennan pressed Vance on his previous remarks advocating for properly vetted refugees, questioning whether his stance had shifted given the suspension of resettlement operations.
Vance doubts vetting processes
Vance expressed scepticism about the vetting of refugees entering the United States, citing security concerns.
“I don’t agree that all these immigrants or all these refugees have been properly vetted,” Vance said. “We know there are cases of people allegedly vetted who were later planning terrorist attacks in our country. That happened during the campaign.”

When Brennan highlighted the plight of tens of thousands of Afghan refugees stuck in resettlement limbo due to Trump’s order, Vance defended the administration’s cautious approach.
“My primary concern as vice president, Margaret, is to look after the American people,” Vance asserted, emphasising that the government should not risk national security by admitting unvetted individuals.
Brennan countered, insisting, “These people are vetted.”
Vance referenced a recent case involving an Afghan national in Oklahoma accused of planning a terrorist attack in October 2023. Despite undergoing multiple vetting processes, the individual had been flagged as a threat.
“I don’t want my children to share a neighbourhood with people who are not properly vetted,” Vance said. “And because I don’t want it for my kids, I’m not going to force other American citizens’ kids to do that either.”

Defending birthright citizenship reforms
The conversation shifted to Trump’s executive order aimed at ending birthright citizenship for children of illegal immigrants, a controversial move that has reignited debates over the country’s immigration policies. Brennan argued that the United States is “a country founded by immigrants.”
Vance pushed back, calling current immigration policies outdated and ineffective.
“Just because we were founded by immigrants doesn’t mean that, 240 years later, we have to have the dumbest immigration policy in the world,” Vance said. “No country says that temporary visitors, their children will be given complete access to the benefits and blessings of American citizenship.”