Donald Trump supporter cites Japanese internment camps as precedent for a Muslim registry

A former Navy SEAL and supporter of President-elect Donald Trump cited America's internment of Japanese people during World War II — even American citizens of Japanese descent — as precedent for implementing a Muslim registry.

Carl Higbie made the comments to Fox News' Megyn Kelly, who quickly chastised him for even suggesting that the U.S. return to internment camps on her show.

"We did it with Iran back a while ago, we did it during World War II with Japanese," Higbie said, comparing Trump's proposed Muslim registry to the Japanese internment camps.

"Come on, you're not proposing we go back to the days of internment camps, I hope," Kelly said. "You know better than to suggest that."

Higbie — who worked for the pro-Trump Great America PAC during the campaign — denied he was suggesting Muslims in America should be interned.

"No, no, no, but what I am saying is we need to put America first," Higbie said, adding that he was, "Just saying there is precedent for it. I'm not saying I agree with it."

Kelly pushed back hard on Higbie for bringing up the internment camps, in which the United States interned people of Japanese ancestry, even American citizens, after the attack on Pearl Harbor during World War II.

"That's the kind of thing that gets people scared, Carl," Kelly said. "You can't be citing Japanese internment camps as precedent for anything the president-elect is gonna do."

Trump, for his part, has not brought up the internment camps as precedent for his proposals.

He has said he wants to ban Muslim immigrants from coming to the United States.

And one of his potential cabinet appointees, Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, suggested the United States would bring back a national registry for Muslim immigrants that would put restrictions on how they could enter and exit the country.