Politics

DHS Secretary Brings Up 9/11 To Defend Trump’s New Executive Order On Immigration [VIDEO]

Christian Datoc Senior White House Correspondent
Font Size:

Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly recalled the reason for his department’s founding during a Monday press conference addressing President Trump’s new executive order on immigration.

“Last week the Department of Homeland Security celebrated its 14th anniversary, first opening its doors on the 1st of March, 2003,” Kelly told reporters. “This secretariat was established in response to the devastating attacks on September 11th, when foreign terrorists turned a beautiful and ordinary day into a nightmare.” (RELATED: Trump Signs Revamped Executive Order Restricting Immigration From Six Countries)

WATCH:

“Those attacks taught us we could not take our nation’s security for granted, that Homeland Security must be our top priority,” he continued. “We needed to overcome our inability to connect the dots and rearrange them into a more comprehensive picture of the threats posed to America and our way of life.”

“Though much has changed in the past 14 years — both in the world that is more dangerous and DHS, which is much better — the fact remains that we are not immune to terrorist threats and our enemies use our own freedoms and generosity against us. The executive order President Trump signed this morning will make America more secure and address long overdue concerns about the security of our immigration system.”

Follow Datoc on Twitter and Facebook