Trump, campaigning in Iowa, vows to ban Hamas sympathizers from US if he wins a second term

By THOMAS BEAUMONT and JILL COLVIN
Associated Press

CLIVE, Iowa (AP) — Former President Donald Trump is vowing to bar refugees from Gaza and expand his first-term travel ban following the deadly attack on Israel last week. Trump on Monday said as president he would begin “ideological screening” for all immigrants to the United States and bar those who empathize with Islamic extremists. The proposals marked a dramatic expansion of the controversial — and legally dubious — policies that drew alarms from immigrant rights and civil liberties activists during his first campaign — but helped him win the GOP primary in 2016. Trump made the announcement Monday while campaigning in Iowa three months before voting begins in the GOP contest’s kickoff state.