SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO.com) -- Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach and South Dakota Secretary of State Shantel Krebs want to make one thing clear.
"There is no Muslim registry and there never has been a Muslim registry," said Kobach yesterday at a news conference where he endorsed Krebs for the Republican nomination for the U.S. House.
Kobach developed the original entry/exit program--NSEERS--which monitored people coming to America from countries with terrorism for the George W. Bush administration after 9-11. It also tracked their leaving the country. President Barack Obama ended the program in his first term. Trump has said he would like to bring back the Bush II-era program.
Further, Kobach had harsh words for anyone who thought there ever was such a "Muslim registry."
"To call it a Muslim registration is idiotic and ignorant," Kobach said. "I think these people are either ignorant of the NSEERS system or they are intentionally misleading the public."
Krebs said she is often asked about immigration and protecting the nation's borders while on the campaign trail. She says she fully supports Trump's views on immigration reform, tracking aliens, and building a wall on the Mexican border.
"So, citizens are concerned and are asking, 'where do I stand on securing the borders?' Krebs said. "And it's an easy comment for me to make that President Trump wants to secure our borders."
Kobach is an advisor to Trump and a co-chair of the President's electoral integrity commission. Kobach said he was endorsing Krebs because he has worked for her as a fellow secretary of state and know she is strong on immigration issues.
Click the video above to watch the news conference.
