New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D.) said Wednesday that anyone who wants to come to the United States should be "very thoroughly vetted."
De Blasio spoke with CNN's Chris Cuomo in the wake of the terrorist attack in Manhattan on Tuesday that killed eight people and wounded more. The suspect in the attack is an immigrant from Uzbekistan with ties to the Islamic State, according to officials.
De Blasio said the investigation into the attack is still ongoing and being carried out by the FBI and New York City Police Department.
"In the end, the last thing we should do is start casting aspersions on whole races of people or whole religions or whole nations; that only makes the situation worse," de Blasio said.
"The bottom line is anyone who wants to come in this country should be very thoroughly vetted as an individual," he added.
De Blasio also spoke against extra screening for any specific groups of people from around the world, including those from countries with higher risks of terrorism.
De Blasio, a vocal opponent of President Donald Trump, has opposed the Trump administration's travel ban on individuals coming from certain countries with high risks of terrorism.
Trump tweeted on Tuesday that vetting is going to be stepped up for those entering the United States.
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