The White House has said it would be “misguided and wrong” to assume a five-year-old child does not pose a threat to the United States.
On Monday, Donald Trump’s press secretary Sean Spicer defended the president’s decision to impose a travel ban on people from seven majority-Muslim countries.
As WJLA reported, one young boy who had arrived at Washington Dulles International Airport from Iran was detained for hours.
Pressed on the incident during today’s White House briefing, Spicer said Trump’s order only affected a small number of people who had traveled to the US.
“When you about the 329,000 people, 109 were inconvenienced for the safety and security of us all,” he said.
“And to make sure that, if they are a 5 year old, that maybe they’re with their parents and they don’t pose a threat.”
He added: “But to assume that just because of someone’s age or gender or whatever that they don’t pose a threat would be misguided and wrong.”
There have been widespread protests across the US at Trump’s crackdown on travel from the Middle East.
Theresa May has faced a barrage of criticism for failing to condemn the order, which was signed shortly after she left Washington having met with Trump.
On Monday evening, thousands of people protested the travel ban outside Downing Street amid demands the prime minsiter cancel the state visit offered to Trump.
In the Commons, Boris Johnson was urged to “have the guts to speak out” against the US president.