Vice President JD Vance didn’t mince words Sunday morning during a fiery exchange with CBS host Margaret Brennan on *Face the Nation.* The Republican leader staunchly defended President Trump’s decision to pause a refugee program, which last week prevented hundreds of Afghans from entering the United States.
Vance, known for his sharp critiques of globalist policies, made it clear where his loyalties lie. “My primary concern as vice president is to look after the American people,” he told Brennan, pushing back on criticism of the administration’s decision.
Brennan pressed Vance about whether Afghan refugees—many of whom assisted the U.S. government during its time in Afghanistan—should be allowed entry. She highlighted comments Vance made last year, where he stated the U.S. shouldn’t abandon allies who were properly vetted.
The vice president didn’t back down, doubling down on the need for rigorous vetting. “Now that we know we have serious problems with vetting in these refugee programs, we absolutely cannot unleash thousands of unvetted people into our country,” Vance asserted.
Citing a chilling example, Vance referenced Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, an Afghan national arrested last November for allegedly plotting a terrorist attack on Election Day. Tawhedi had entered the U.S. on a special immigrant visa following the Biden administration’s chaotic 2021 withdrawal from Afghanistan.
“I don’t want my children to share a neighborhood with people who are not properly vetted,” Vance declared. “And because I don’t want that for my kids, I’m not going to force any other American citizen’s kids to do that either.”
When Brennan suggested Tawhedi’s case was an outlier and speculated he may have been radicalized after arriving in the U.S., Vance’s response was blunt: “I don’t really care, Margaret. I don’t want that person in my country, and I think most Americans agree with me.”
Trump’s move to suspend the refugee resettlement program came as no surprise to his supporters, who have long championed his America First policies. While the decision has drawn criticism from the left and international organizations, conservatives argue it’s a necessary step to safeguard national security.
According to reports, the program’s halt canceled travel plans for refugees already approved to enter the U.S., including over 1,600 Afghans who aided American forces during the war in Afghanistan. Critics have framed the pause as a betrayal of allies, but Vance emphasized that the administration’s responsibility is to American citizens first.
Tawhedi, it should be noted, did not enter the country through the refugee program but via a humanitarian parole program—a distinction Vance was quick to highlight as an example of broader flaws in the system.
“I’m not willing to gamble with American lives,” Vance said firmly. “The stakes are too high.”
While the refugee program has historically been a lifeline for those fleeing war and persecution, the vice president’s message was clear: protecting Americans takes precedence over feel-good globalist policies.
As the administration continues to navigate the fallout from this decision, one thing remains certain—JD Vance isn’t afraid to take a stand for the safety and sovereignty of the American people, even if it ruffles feathers in Washington or on Sunday morning talk shows.
