Top Democratic lawmakers and rights bodies have slammed President-elect Donald Trump&#39;s reported plan to reinstate a database of immigrants from Muslim-majority countries.

National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS) is a post-9/11 program which required travellers to the US from specified Muslim-majority countries to immediately register with the federal government or face deportation.

&quot;Reinstating failed programs that target Arabs and Muslims in our country is exactly what ISIS was cheering on election night when America, a beacon of freedom in the world, gives in to fear and begins chipping away at civil rights, our enemies are emboldened and their ranks swell with new recruits,&quot; Senator Dick Durbin said.

&quot;Back in 2002, I called for this program to be terminated because there were serious doubts it would help combat terrorism. Terrorism experts have since concluded that this program wasted precious homeland security funds and alienated Arab- and Muslim-Americans.&nbsp;

Failed programs like this are the exact wrong approach to combating terrorism, and I will fight to ensure it never returns,&quot; Durbin said.

The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) Co-Chairs Raul M Grijalva and Keith Ellison, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Chairwoman Judy Chu, CPC Vice Chair Congressman Mike Honda, and CPC Vice Chair Mark Takano slammed Trump surrogate, Carl Higbie, for suggesting that Japanese- American internment camps could serve as a precedent for the creation of a Muslim registry.

&quot;These remarks are beyond disturbing. This is fear, not courage. This is hate, not policy,&quot; Honda said.

&quot;Since Trump was elected president, thousands of Americans have voiced fears over what our country might look like in the coming years. Last night, one of his surrogates showed us why so many people are afraid of a Trump administration.

&quot;The fact that our incoming President has considered internment as a model for how to move forward with the Muslim community is absolutely shocking. We cannot allow it to be normalised or enacted,&quot; Ellison said.

Grijalva said it took the US decades to own up to the stain of Japanese internment, providing compensation to more than 100,000 people who suffered through it and formally apologising through the Civil Liberties Act in 1988. To say this heinous treatment should be precedent for any policy is horrific, and Trump should denounce it immediately.

&quot;Any proposal to force American-Muslims to register with the federal government, and to use Japanese imprisonment during World War II as precedent, is abhorrent and has no place in our society. These ideas are based on tactics of fear, division, and hate that we must condemn,&quot; Chu said.

&quot;I am horrified that people connected to the incoming Administration are using my family&#39;s experience as a precedent for what President-elect Trump could do,&quot; said Takano.&nbsp;

Congresswoman Luis V Gutierrez, a Member of the Judiciary Committee and is Co-Chair of the Immigration Task Force of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, said the roundup of men from mostly Asian, Middle Eastern and African countries was one of the darkest chapters of the George W Bush years.

It was a strategy to scare immigrants and yielded zero concrete terrorism leads that led to conviction. Racial, ethnic, religious and gender profiling is exactly the wrong approach to law enforcement and counter-terrorism, he said.

&quot;The internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II was a historic injustice and nothing like it should ever happen again. The protection of our Constitution is not conditional; it applies to all of us.

&quot;We cannot allow hate speech, racism, and anti-immigrant sentiment to become the new norm in our country, and we must continue to speak out against hate and prejudice. An inclusive and vibrant America is worth fighting for,&quot; Senator Mazie Hironohe said.

Meanwhile, the South Asian Bar Association (SABA) has also denounced the suggestions of a registry for non-citizen Muslims in the US.

&quot;While once just a campaign promise, this xenophobic and un-American idea has been thrust back into our national consciousness by Carl Higbie, former spokesperson for a Super PAC supporting the President-Elect,&quot; SABA said in a statement.

Higbie&#39;s suggestion that internment camps that imprisoned countless Japanese-Americans during World War II is a &quot;precedent&quot; for a possible Muslim registry, presupposes the lawfulness of a program that&#39;s only lasting impact is that of shame, regret and embarrassment, it said.

SABA said this proposed registry is rooted in NSEERS that required certain &quot;foreign citizens and nationals&quot; to continuously check-in with US Authorities.

After repeated criticism and documented ineffectiveness, NSEERS was abandoned in 2011, leaving a legacy of deporting individuals who had committed no crimes and had no links to terrorism, it said.

SABA called on Americans of all backgrounds to reject the notion that registration and potential mass incarceration of residents of this country solely based upon nationality, race or religion, without justification, cause or purpose is acceptable.

&quot;Discrimination towards any community cannot be condoned and we hope the President-Elect and the pending administration uniformly reject such proposals. The perpetuation of hate solely serves to continue the divisiveness that tears at the core of our values of equal protection and freedom for all individuals,&quot; it added.&nbsp;

(PTI)

Trump is reportedly planning on reinstating a programme that requires travellers from some Muslim countries to register themselves

Top Democratic lawmakers and rights bodies have slammed President-elect Donald Trump's reported plan to reinstate a database of immigrants from Muslim-majority countries. National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS) is a post-9/11 program which required travellers to the US from specified Muslim-majority countries to immediately register with the federal government or face deportation. "Reinstating failed programs that target Arabs and Muslims in our country is exactly what ISIS was cheering on election night when America, a beacon of freedom in the world, gives in to fear and begins chipping away at civil rights, our enemies are emboldened and their ranks swell with new recruits," Senator Dick Durbin said. "Back in 2002, I called for this program to be terminated because there were serious doubts it would help combat terrorism. Terrorism experts have since concluded that this program wasted precious homeland security funds and alienated Arab- and Muslim-Americans. Failed programs like this are the exact wrong approach to combating terrorism, and I will fight to ensure it never returns," Durbin said. The Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) Co-Chairs Raul M Grijalva and Keith Ellison, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Chairwoman Judy Chu, CPC Vice Chair Congressman Mike Honda, and CPC Vice Chair Mark Takano slammed Trump surrogate, Carl Higbie, for suggesting that Japanese- American internment camps could serve as a precedent for the creation of a Muslim registry. "These remarks are beyond disturbing. This is fear, not courage. This is hate, not policy," Honda said. "Since Trump was elected president, thousands of Americans have voiced fears over what our country might look like in the coming years. Last night, one of his surrogates showed us why so many people are afraid of a Trump administration. "The fact that our incoming President has considered internment as a model for how to move forward with the Muslim community is absolutely shocking. We cannot allow it to be normalised or enacted," Ellison said. Grijalva said it took the US decades to own up to the stain of Japanese internment, providing compensation to more than 100,000 people who suffered through it and formally apologising through the Civil Liberties Act in 1988. To say this heinous treatment should be precedent for any policy is horrific, and Trump should denounce it immediately. "Any proposal to force American-Muslims to register with the federal government, and to use Japanese imprisonment during World War II as precedent, is abhorrent and has no place in our society. These ideas are based on tactics of fear, division, and hate that we must condemn," Chu said. "I am horrified that people connected to the incoming Administration are using my family's experience as a precedent for what President-elect Trump could do," said Takano. Congresswoman Luis V Gutierrez, a Member of the Judiciary Committee and is Co-Chair of the Immigration Task Force of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, said the roundup of men from mostly Asian, Middle Eastern and African countries was one of the darkest chapters of the George W Bush years. It was a strategy to scare immigrants and yielded zero concrete terrorism leads that led to conviction. Racial, ethnic, religious and gender profiling is exactly the wrong approach to law enforcement and counter-terrorism, he said. "The internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II was a historic injustice and nothing like it should ever happen again. The protection of our Constitution is not conditional; it applies to all of us. "We cannot allow hate speech, racism, and anti-immigrant sentiment to become the new norm in our country, and we must continue to speak out against hate and prejudice. An inclusive and vibrant America is worth fighting for," Senator Mazie Hironohe said. Meanwhile, the South Asian Bar Association (SABA) has also denounced the suggestions of a registry for non-citizen Muslims in the US. "While once just a campaign promise, this xenophobic and un-American idea has been thrust back into our national consciousness by Carl Higbie, former spokesperson for a Super PAC supporting the President-Elect," SABA said in a statement. Higbie's suggestion that internment camps that imprisoned countless Japanese-Americans during World War II is a "precedent" for a possible Muslim registry, presupposes the lawfulness of a program that's only lasting impact is that of shame, regret and embarrassment, it said. SABA said this proposed registry is rooted in NSEERS that required certain "foreign citizens and nationals" to continuously check-in with US Authorities. After repeated criticism and documented ineffectiveness, NSEERS was abandoned in 2011, leaving a legacy of deporting individuals who had committed no crimes and had no links to terrorism, it said. SABA called on Americans of all backgrounds to reject the notion that registration and potential mass incarceration of residents of this country solely based upon nationality, race or religion, without justification, cause or purpose is acceptable. "Discrimination towards any community cannot be condoned and we hope the President-Elect and the pending administration uniformly reject such proposals. The perpetuation of hate solely serves to continue the divisiveness that tears at the core of our values of equal protection and freedom for all individuals," it added. (PTI)

US Democrats, rights bodies slam Trump Muslim registry plan

US&nbsp;President-elect Donald Trump has offered retired Lieutenant General Michael Flynn the job of national security adviser, the Associated Press reported on Thursday, citing a senior Trump official.

The official would not say whether Flynn, a former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency who advised Trump during the campaign on national security issues, has officially accepted the job, according to AP.

(Reuters)

A senior Trump official told AP about the job offer, but did not say whether Flynn had officially accepted the job

US President-elect Donald Trump has offered retired Lieutenant General Michael Flynn the job of national security adviser, the Associated Press reported on Thursday, citing a senior Trump official. The official would not say whether Flynn, a former head of the Defense Intelligence Agency who advised Trump during the campaign on national security issues, has officially accepted the job, according to AP. (Reuters)

Trump has offered national security adviser job to Flynn: Associated Press

One day before US&nbsp;President-elect Donald Trump&#39;s first meeting with&nbsp;Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Japanese officials said they had not finalised when or where in New York it would take place, who would be invited, or in some cases whom to call for answers.

Uncertainty over the talks shows the difficulties in turning Trump from a freewheeling businessman into a sitting president with a watertight schedule and a fully functioning administration by his inauguration on Jan. 20.

Japanese and US&nbsp;officials said on Wednesday the State Department had not been involved in planning the meeting, leaving the logistical and protocol details that normally would be settled far in advance still to be determined.

&ldquo;There has been a lot of confusion,&rdquo; said one Japanese official.

The meeting was only agreed to last week and Trump and his advisers have been busy in meetings at his headquarters in Manhattan&#39;s Trump Tower in recent days to work out who gets which job in the new administration.

State Department spokesman John Kirby said that to his knowledge, Trump&#39;s transition team had not been in contact with the department either to discuss the transition of government or to seek information ahead of his meetings with foreign leaders.

Trump is expected to use the Abe meeting to reassure Japan and other Asian allies rattled by his campaign rhetoric, advisers to Trump said. But Trump, a brash outsider with no diplomatic or government experience, and Abe, a veteran lawmaker, have differences on policy issues such as free trade.

Several Trump aides did not immediately answer requests on Wednesday for comment about the Abe visit or contact between the transition team and the State Department.

Transition speculation

Speculation about top appointments to the Trump administration has intensified since the head of the team overseeing the transition, New Jersey governor Chris Christie, was removed last week and replaced by vice president-elect Mike Pence.

Transition team officials said on Wednesday night that Trump planned to announce &quot;landing teams&quot; on Thursday that would begin setting up staff in key agencies, like the State and Justice departments.

Trump on Wednesday denounced reports of disorganisation in the team, singling out the New York Times for saying world leaders have had trouble getting in touch with him since his upset victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton in the Nov. 8 presidential election. The Republican real estate magnate said on Twitter he had taken &quot;calls from many foreign leaders despite what the failing @nytimes said. Russia, U.K., China, Saudi Arabia, Japan.&quot;

The Times, a frequent target of Trump&#39;s Twitter blasts, said on Tuesday that US&nbsp;allies were &quot;scrambling to figure out how and when to contact Mr. Trump&quot; and blindly dialing in to Trump Tower to try to reach him.

Trump and Pence had spoken to 29 foreign leaders, the transition team said on Wednesday. Trump has mostly stuck to normal practice for a US&nbsp;president-elect with the order in which he has spoken to foreign leaders on the phone since his election victory. But some of his contacts have stretched the limits of the usual procedure.

&#39;Only one who knows&#39;

Despite fevered speculation, Trump has yet to say who will fill Cabinet positions such as secretary of state, treasury secretary or defense secretary. His team said that was not unusual and was in line with the timing of the transition of Democrat Barack Obama to the White House after he won the presidency in 2008.

Trump could add son-in-law Jared Kushner as a top White House adviser, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. Kushner, who is married to Ivanka Trump, has been a central adviser during the campaign and transition. The Trump transition team has repeatedly denied it is seeking high-level security clearance for Kushner.

A federal anti-nepotism law prohibits a president from hiring family members to serve in his administration, but the Journal said it was not clear if the law applied to a position inside the White House. It added Kushner had indicated he would avoid the issue by not taking pay for any White House work.

Kellyanne Conway, a senior Trump aide who served as his campaign manager, said she did not think Kushner was seeking an official role in the White House.

(Reuters)

Donald Trump is expected to use the Abe meeting to reassure Japan and other Asian allies rattled by his campaign rhetoric

One day before US President-elect Donald Trump's first meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Japanese officials said they had not finalised when or where in New York it would take place, who would be invited, or in some cases whom to call for answers. Uncertainty over the talks shows the difficulties in turning Trump from a freewheeling businessman into a sitting president with a watertight schedule and a fully functioning administration by his inauguration on Jan. 20. Japanese and US officials said on Wednesday the State Department had not been involved in planning the meeting, leaving the logistical and protocol details that normally would be settled far in advance still to be determined. “There has been a lot of confusion,” said one Japanese official. The meeting was only agreed to last week and Trump and his advisers have been busy in meetings at his headquarters in Manhattan's Trump Tower in recent days to work out who gets which job in the new administration. State Department spokesman John Kirby said that to his knowledge, Trump's transition team had not been in contact with the department either to discuss the transition of government or to seek information ahead of his meetings with foreign leaders. Trump is expected to use the Abe meeting to reassure Japan and other Asian allies rattled by his campaign rhetoric, advisers to Trump said. But Trump, a brash outsider with no diplomatic or government experience, and Abe, a veteran lawmaker, have differences on policy issues such as free trade. Several Trump aides did not immediately answer requests on Wednesday for comment about the Abe visit or contact between the transition team and the State Department. Transition speculation Speculation about top appointments to the Trump administration has intensified since the head of the team overseeing the transition, New Jersey governor Chris Christie, was removed last week and replaced by vice president-elect Mike Pence. Transition team officials said on Wednesday night that Trump planned to announce "landing teams" on Thursday that would begin setting up staff in key agencies, like the State and Justice departments. Trump on Wednesday denounced reports of disorganisation in the team, singling out the New York Times for saying world leaders have had trouble getting in touch with him since his upset victory over Democrat Hillary Clinton in the Nov. 8 presidential election. The Republican real estate magnate said on Twitter he had taken "calls from many foreign leaders despite what the failing @nytimes said. Russia, U.K., China, Saudi Arabia, Japan." The Times, a frequent target of Trump's Twitter blasts, said on Tuesday that US allies were "scrambling to figure out how and when to contact Mr. Trump" and blindly dialing in to Trump Tower to try to reach him. Trump and Pence had spoken to 29 foreign leaders, the transition team said on Wednesday. Trump has mostly stuck to normal practice for a US president-elect with the order in which he has spoken to foreign leaders on the phone since his election victory. But some of his contacts have stretched the limits of the usual procedure. 'Only one who knows' Despite fevered speculation, Trump has yet to say who will fill Cabinet positions such as secretary of state, treasury secretary or defense secretary. His team said that was not unusual and was in line with the timing of the transition of Democrat Barack Obama to the White House after he won the presidency in 2008. Trump could add son-in-law Jared Kushner as a top White House adviser, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. Kushner, who is married to Ivanka Trump, has been a central adviser during the campaign and transition. The Trump transition team has repeatedly denied it is seeking high-level security clearance for Kushner. A federal anti-nepotism law prohibits a president from hiring family members to serve in his administration, but the Journal said it was not clear if the law applied to a position inside the White House. It added Kushner had indicated he would avoid the issue by not taking pay for any White House work. Kellyanne Conway, a senior Trump aide who served as his campaign manager, said she did not think Kushner was seeking an official role in the White House. (Reuters)

Confusion shrouds Trump's first talks with Japanese PM Abe

US President Barack Obama said President-elect Donald Trump is in for a wake-up call once he takes office and grapples with the responsibilities associated with the job.&nbsp;

&quot;This office has a way of waking you up,&quot; the President said during a press conference at the White House before leaving for a final trip to Europe.&nbsp;

Slightly subdued, he advised Trump that the responsibilities of the&nbsp;job will not allow him to say just about anything, it will have repercussions.&nbsp;

&quot;Those aspects of his positions or predispositions that don&#39;t match up with reality, he will find shaken up pretty quick because reality has a way of asserting itself,&quot; Obama advised.

&quot;There are going to be certain elements of his temperament that will not serve him well, unless he recognises them and corrects them.&quot;

&quot;Because when you&#39;re a candidate and you say something that is inaccurate or controversial it has less impact than it does when you&#39;re president of the United States. Everybody around the world is paying attention. Markets move,&quot; he continued.&nbsp;

The President&#39;s comments come in after he met with Trump at the White House to begin the transition of power.&nbsp;

Obama also believes Trump&#39;s political inexperience may help him.&nbsp;

&quot;I don&#39;t think he is ideological. I think ultimately he is pragmatic in that way.&quot;&nbsp;

&quot;And that can serve him well as long as he&#39;s got good people around him and he has a clear sense of direction,&quot; he added.&nbsp;

The President refused to comment on Trump&#39;s appointment of right-wing Stephen Bannon as his chief strategist and senior counsellor, saying it would &quot;not be inappropriate&quot;.&nbsp;

He also said it was crucial that Trump send &quot;signals of unity&quot; and that his political gift, which won him the election could be &quot;put to good use in the White House.&quot;

Obama expressed regret for having failed to shut down the prison at Guantanamo Bay, where 60 inmates are currently jailed in his eight-year term.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(WION with inputs from Reuters)

President Obama said it's 'important for Trump to send signals of unity' and should put his 'political gifts' to good use in the White House

US President Barack Obama said President-elect Donald Trump is in for a wake-up call once he takes office and grapples with the responsibilities associated with the job. "This office has a way of waking you up," the President said during a press conference at the White House before leaving for a final trip to Europe. Slightly subdued, he advised Trump that the responsibilities of the job will not allow him to say just about anything, it will have repercussions. "Those aspects of his positions or predispositions that don't match up with reality, he will find shaken up pretty quick because reality has a way of asserting itself," Obama advised. "There are going to be certain elements of his temperament that will not serve him well, unless he recognises them and corrects them." "Because when you're a candidate and you say something that is inaccurate or controversial it has less impact than it does when you're president of the United States. Everybody around the world is paying attention. Markets move," he continued. The President's comments come in after he met with Trump at the White House to begin the transition of power. Obama also believes Trump's political inexperience may help him. "I don't think he is ideological. I think ultimately he is pragmatic in that way." "And that can serve him well as long as he's got good people around him and he has a clear sense of direction," he added. The President refused to comment on Trump's appointment of right-wing Stephen Bannon as his chief strategist and senior counsellor, saying it would "not be inappropriate". He also said it was crucial that Trump send "signals of unity" and that his political gift, which won him the election could be "put to good use in the White House." Obama expressed regret for having failed to shut down the prison at Guantanamo Bay, where 60 inmates are currently jailed in his eight-year term. (WION with inputs from Reuters)

Obama: Trump to get wake-up call when he takes office

US President-elect Donald Trump appointed Republican party chairman Reince Priebus as his new chief of staff and his campaign CEO Steve Bannon as senior counsellor.

&quot;Steve and Reince are highly qualified leaders who worked well together on our campaign and led us to a historic victory,&quot; Trump said in a statement.

Representative Adam Schiff criticised Trump&#39;s decision in a tweet.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
Selection of Steve Bannon for senior WH role unsurprising but alarming. &nbsp;His alt-right, anti-Semitic &amp; misogynistic views don&#39;t belong in WH
&mdash; Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepAdamSchiff/status/797944790746796032">November 13, 2016</a></blockquote>

Priebus is a longtime Wisconsin political operative who was credited with marshaling party resources for Trump&#39;s White House bid, news agency Reuters said.

The campaign statement referred to the two men as &quot;equal partners,&quot; CNN reported. &quot;Bannon and Priebus will continue the effective leadership team they formed during the campaign, working as equal partners to transform the federal government, making it much more efficient, effective and productive,&quot; it said.

Priebus, who is close to House speaker Paul Ryan, may help bridge the gap between the Republican Party and Trump. &ldquo;I am thrilled to have my very successful team continue with me in leading our country,&rdquo; Trump said.&nbsp;

&ldquo;Steve and Reince are highly qualified leaders who worked well together on our campaign and led us to a historic victory. Now I will have them both with me in the White House as we work to make America great again.&rdquo; 
Bannon and Priebus will work with vice president-elect Mike Pence through the transition process.&nbsp;

In his first interview with US broadcaster CBS after winning the elections, Trump said he would soon deport about 3 million immigrants. The president-elect has also been seeking quick ways to withdraw the United States from a global accord to combat climate change, a source on his transition team said, defying broad international backing for the plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

(With inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

Priebus, who is close to House speaker Paul Ryan, could help bridge the gap between the Republican Party and Donald Trump

US President-elect Donald Trump appointed Republican party chairman Reince Priebus as his new chief of staff and his campaign CEO Steve Bannon as senior counsellor. "Steve and Reince are highly qualified leaders who worked well together on our campaign and led us to a historic victory," Trump said in a statement. Representative Adam Schiff criticised Trump's decision in a tweet. Selection of Steve Bannon for senior WH role unsurprising but alarming. His alt-right, anti-Semitic & misogynistic views don't belong in WH — Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) November 13, 2016 Priebus is a longtime Wisconsin political operative who was credited with marshaling party resources for Trump's White House bid, news agency Reuters said. The campaign statement referred to the two men as "equal partners," CNN reported. "Bannon and Priebus will continue the effective leadership team they formed during the campaign, working as equal partners to transform the federal government, making it much more efficient, effective and productive," it said. Priebus, who is close to House speaker Paul Ryan, may help bridge the gap between the Republican Party and Trump. “I am thrilled to have my very successful team continue with me in leading our country,” Trump said. “Steve and Reince are highly qualified leaders who worked well together on our campaign and led us to a historic victory. Now I will have them both with me in the White House as we work to make America great again.” Bannon and Priebus will work with vice president-elect Mike Pence through the transition process. In his first interview with US broadcaster CBS after winning the elections, Trump said he would soon deport about 3 million immigrants. The president-elect has also been seeking quick ways to withdraw the United States from a global accord to combat climate change, a source on his transition team said, defying broad international backing for the plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions. (With inputs from agencies)

Trump names Priebus White House chief of staff, Bannon chief strategist

US President-elect Donald Trump has promised to deport&nbsp;millions of undocumented migrants.&nbsp;

In an interview with CBS&#39;s 60 Minutes, Trump said &quot;What we are going to do is get the people that are criminal and have criminal records, gang members, drug dealers, where a lot of these people, probably two million, it could be even three million, we are getting them out of our country or we are going to incarcerate.&quot;

&quot;But we&#39;re getting them out of our country, they&#39;re here illegally,&quot; Indian news agency, the Press trust of India quoted Trump saying.&nbsp;

&quot;After the border is secure and after everything gets normalised, we&#39;re going to make a determination on the people that they&#39;re talking about who are terrific people, they&#39;re terrific people but we are gonna make a determination at that,&quot; Trump added.&nbsp;

No deportation force

House speaker Paul Ryan assured that despite Trump&#39;s vow people will not be rounded-up and deported.&nbsp;

&quot;We are not planning on erecting a deportation force. Donald Trump&#39;s not planning on that,&quot; Ryan told CNN.

&quot;I think we should put people&#39;s minds at ease: That is not what our focus is. That is not what we&#39;re focused on. We&#39;re focused on securing the border. We think that&#39;s first and foremost, before we get into any other immigration issue, we&#39;ve got to know who&#39;s coming and going into the country -- we&#39;ve got to secure the border,&quot; he added.

(WION with inputs from agencies)

Trump said 'people with criminal records, gang members, drug dealers' will be deported or imprisoned

US President-elect Donald Trump has promised to deport millions of undocumented migrants. In an interview with CBS's 60 Minutes, Trump said "What we are going to do is get the people that are criminal and have criminal records, gang members, drug dealers, where a lot of these people, probably two million, it could be even three million, we are getting them out of our country or we are going to incarcerate." "But we're getting them out of our country, they're here illegally," Indian news agency, the Press trust of India quoted Trump saying. "After the border is secure and after everything gets normalised, we're going to make a determination on the people that they're talking about who are terrific people, they're terrific people but we are gonna make a determination at that," Trump added. No deportation force House speaker Paul Ryan assured that despite Trump's vow people will not be rounded-up and deported. "We are not planning on erecting a deportation force. Donald Trump's not planning on that," Ryan told CNN. "I think we should put people's minds at ease: That is not what our focus is. That is not what we're focused on. We're focused on securing the border. We think that's first and foremost, before we get into any other immigration issue, we've got to know who's coming and going into the country -- we've got to secure the border," he added. (WION with inputs from agencies)

Trump promises to immediately deport up to 3 million immigrants

Chinese President Xi Jinping and US president-elect Donald Trump agreed Monday to meet &quot;at an early date&quot; to discuss the relationship between their two powers, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said Monday.

In a telephone call, Xi told Trump - who frequently savaged Beijing on the campaign trail and threatened to impose a 45-per cent tariff on Chinese-made goods - that the world&#39;s top two economies &quot;need cooperation and there are a lot of things we can cooperate on&quot;, CCTV reported.

Xi and Trump &quot;vowed to keep close contact, build good working relations, and meet at an early date to exchange views on issues of mutual interest and the development of bilateral ties&quot;, CCTV said.

Before his election, Trump went as far as calling the Asian giant America&#39;s &quot;enemy&quot;, and accused it of artificially lowering its currency to boost exports, and pledged to stand up to a country he says views the US as a pushover.

He has vowed to pursue a policy of &quot;peace through strength&quot; and build up the US navy.

But he also indicated he is not interested in getting involved in far-off squabbles, and decried the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade deal, which encompasses several other Asian countries and has been seen as an effort to bolster US influence, for costing American jobs.&nbsp;

CCTV cited Trump as saying in the call that China was a large and important nation that he was willing to work with&nbsp;and that he believed Sino-US relations could realise &quot;win-win&quot; benefits.&nbsp;

The phrasing&nbsp;used by the broadcaster attributed to the US president-elect is typical of Chinese diplomacy.

In a statement, Trump&#39;s office confirmed the call and said that &quot;the leaders established a clear sense of mutual respect for one another&quot;.

Trump &quot;stated that he believes the two leaders will have one of the strongest relationships for both countries moving forward&quot;, it added.

New starting point?&nbsp;

Trump&#39;s contrary and ambiguous positions have left a pall of uncertainty over how he will manage the relationship between the world&#39;s two largest economies and its biggest and most powerful militaries.

An editorial in the often nationalistic Global Times newspaper warned Monday that China would &quot;take counter-measures&quot; if Washington levied tariffs and said that &quot;making things difficult for China politically will do him no good&quot;.

Beijing would use a &quot;tit-for-tat approach&quot; and target US autos, aircraft, soybeans, and iPhones. It also said that China could limit the massive number of students it sends to American schools.&nbsp;

Under President Barack Obama, Washington&#39;s foreign policy &quot;pivot&quot; towards Asia was viewed with alarm in Beijing, which saw it as an attempt to contain its growing geopolitical and economic might.

But Trump has offered no clear prescriptions for the strategic issues that plague ties between the two powers, from Beijing&#39;s territorial claims in the South China Sea to North Korea&#39;s nuclear programme and the future of Taiwan.

He has also indicated America has had enough of paying to defend allies such as Japan and South Korea, even suggesting they should develop their own nuclear weapons.

Mark Williams of Capital Economics previously said in a note that &quot;if the US is less engaged in Asia, Beijing will have an opportunity to shape regional political and economic integration on its own terms&quot;.

That could include an Asia-focused trade agreement of its own that excludes the US, in the same manner that China was not part of TPP.

Beijing is already embarked on negotiations to create the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a free trade area encompassing the Southeast Asian grouping ASEAN, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand.

Something of a mirror image to the TPP, it includes six of the putative Washington-led grouping&#39;s 12 members.

It would encompass more than three billion people and Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop told media Thursday that if the TPP does fail, &quot;then the vacuum that would be created is most likely to be filled by RCEP&quot;.

China&#39;s foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Monday that Beijing attaches &quot;great importance&quot; to its relationship with the US and will make &quot;concerted efforts&quot; to expand cooperation with the Trump administration.

Asked about Trump&#39;s vow to withdraw from the Paris climate change pact to cut greenhouse gas emissions -- which China and the US both ratified in September -- Geng stressed that the agreement &quot;officially entered into force&quot; this month.

(AFP)

Chinese media reported that Jinping in a telephonic conversation agreed to meet Trump 'at an early date'

Chinese President Xi Jinping and US president-elect Donald Trump agreed Monday to meet "at an early date" to discuss the relationship between their two powers, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said Monday. In a telephone call, Xi told Trump - who frequently savaged Beijing on the campaign trail and threatened to impose a 45-per cent tariff on Chinese-made goods - that the world's top two economies "need cooperation and there are a lot of things we can cooperate on", CCTV reported. Xi and Trump "vowed to keep close contact, build good working relations, and meet at an early date to exchange views on issues of mutual interest and the development of bilateral ties", CCTV said. Before his election, Trump went as far as calling the Asian giant America's "enemy", and accused it of artificially lowering its currency to boost exports, and pledged to stand up to a country he says views the US as a pushover. He has vowed to pursue a policy of "peace through strength" and build up the US navy. But he also indicated he is not interested in getting involved in far-off squabbles, and decried the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade deal, which encompasses several other Asian countries and has been seen as an effort to bolster US influence, for costing American jobs. CCTV cited Trump as saying in the call that China was a large and important nation that he was willing to work with and that he believed Sino-US relations could realise "win-win" benefits. The phrasing used by the broadcaster attributed to the US president-elect is typical of Chinese diplomacy. In a statement, Trump's office confirmed the call and said that "the leaders established a clear sense of mutual respect for one another". Trump "stated that he believes the two leaders will have one of the strongest relationships for both countries moving forward", it added. New starting point? Trump's contrary and ambiguous positions have left a pall of uncertainty over how he will manage the relationship between the world's two largest economies and its biggest and most powerful militaries. An editorial in the often nationalistic Global Times newspaper warned Monday that China would "take counter-measures" if Washington levied tariffs and said that "making things difficult for China politically will do him no good". Beijing would use a "tit-for-tat approach" and target US autos, aircraft, soybeans, and iPhones. It also said that China could limit the massive number of students it sends to American schools. Under President Barack Obama, Washington's foreign policy "pivot" towards Asia was viewed with alarm in Beijing, which saw it as an attempt to contain its growing geopolitical and economic might. But Trump has offered no clear prescriptions for the strategic issues that plague ties between the two powers, from Beijing's territorial claims in the South China Sea to North Korea's nuclear programme and the future of Taiwan. He has also indicated America has had enough of paying to defend allies such as Japan and South Korea, even suggesting they should develop their own nuclear weapons. Mark Williams of Capital Economics previously said in a note that "if the US is less engaged in Asia, Beijing will have an opportunity to shape regional political and economic integration on its own terms". That could include an Asia-focused trade agreement of its own that excludes the US, in the same manner that China was not part of TPP. Beijing is already embarked on negotiations to create the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a free trade area encompassing the Southeast Asian grouping ASEAN, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. Something of a mirror image to the TPP, it includes six of the putative Washington-led grouping's 12 members. It would encompass more than three billion people and Australian foreign minister Julie Bishop told media Thursday that if the TPP does fail, "then the vacuum that would be created is most likely to be filled by RCEP". China's foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Monday that Beijing attaches "great importance" to its relationship with the US and will make "concerted efforts" to expand cooperation with the Trump administration. Asked about Trump's vow to withdraw from the Paris climate change pact to cut greenhouse gas emissions -- which China and the US both ratified in September -- Geng stressed that the agreement "officially entered into force" this month. (AFP)

China's Xi to Trump: Cooperation only right choice to strengthen ties