Dutton downplays fears Trump will veto asylum seeker deal

Peter Dutton has downplayed fears Donald Trump will veto a deal with Australia to accept asylum seekers | WATCH

Peter Dutton said US officials were already working on the screening of some of the 1,600 refugees on Manus Island and Nauru. Picture: Kym Smith

Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has downplayed fears Donald Trump will veto a deal with Australia to accept asylum seekers in the US, revealing that screening is already underway to meet US requirements for health and security checks on every refugee.

Mr Dutton said US officials were already working on the screening of some of the 1,600 refugees on Manus Island and Nauru, ahead of face-to-face interviews with applicants in December.

“It won’t be a big number because under the US law they need to have face-to-face interviews with people,” he told Sky News.

“There are American officials who are in Australia right now and there will be further officials that travel here at the beginning of December. That screening is underway right now, then there’ll be the face-to-face interviews.

“It’ll take some time and we’re not going to rush the process, we’re not going to try to beat any deadlines or be tricky about the arrangement. We’re going to be respectful of the current administration and the incoming administration.”

.@PeterDutton_MP calls for an end to the 'message of weakness' Bill Shorten is sending to the people smugglers https://t.co/vNQEI1rykk

— The Bolt Report (@theboltreport) November 17, 2016

The comments came after Washington insider and senior Republican Karl Rove told Sky News on Wednesday night that Australia could find the deal was closed off when Mr Trump ascends to the presidency on January 20.

“You better get them on airplanes, fill a lot of Qantas planes flying to the United States if you want to keep this problem off your agenda,” Mr Rove said.

“Get them here by the 20 January, otherwise my suspicion is the new administration would not feel bound by the agreement that John Kerry has made with the Turnbull government.”

Speaking to Andrew Bolt on Thursday night, Mr Dutton praised Mr Rove but said few observers had an ‘in’ to the workings of the Trump administration.

“I think we have been upfront and open about the arrangement that we’ve entered into with the Obama administration. I hope that it can span the next administration. I’m confident that it can,” Mr Dutton said.

“We’ll have that discussion in due course when the new homeland secretary is appointed, when we have a better idea of who the key people will be around the cabinet table, and we can have a discussion about the continuity of the program.

“Mr Trump has spoken about increased screening as opposed to banning Muslims, I think, in his latest rhetoric so we’ll wait and see what the policy is of the United States.”

While many observers believe Mr Trump has vowed to halt Muslim immigration - a potential threat to the Australian arrangement, given many of the refugees are from the Middle East - he adjusted his rhetoric on this issue in July.

Mr Trump’s pledge going into the US election was to undertake “extreme vetting” of immigrants from territories with a history of terror.

Australia already conducts vetting of asylum seekers on security, health and character grounds.