The US presidential campaign has taken another personal turn.<br /><br /> What did Trump say?<br /><br /> Speaking at a rally in the swing state of Ohio, Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump likened his Democrat rival to the Chancellor of Germany.<br /><br /> He then drew parallel’s with Europe’s migrant crisis.<br /><br /> “In short, Hillary Clinton wants to be America’s Angela Merkel and you know what a disaster this massive immigration has been to Germany and the people of Germany.”<br /><br /> “Crime has risen to levels that no one thought they would ever, ever see. It is a catastrophe.”<br /><br /> Donald Trump called Germany’s Angela Merkel “the greatest” last year https://t.co/9te2rw23c1— TIME.com (TIME) August 16, 2016<br /><br /> What did the Democrats say?<br /><br /> "Trump’s ideas are not only profoundly wrong. They’re very dangerous. They’re very un-American." -VP Biden— Joe Biden (JoeBiden) August 15, 2016<br /><br /> Speaking at a campaign rally with Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, Vice President Joe Biden dismissed Trump’s comments as anti-constitutional and populist.<br /><br /> “Look, Trump’s ideas are not only profoundly wrong, they are very dangerous and they are very un-American.”<br /><br /> “They reveal a profound ignorance of our constitution. It is a recipe for playing into the hands of terrorists and their propaganda.”<br /><br /> Crime in Germany – Fact Check<br /><br /> Responding to similar claims by Trump in May, the website Politifact.com says the following:<br /><br /> “There are more criminal acts in Germany these days because there are more people, thanks to the influx of 1.1 million refugees in 2015 alone.”<br /><br /> But the data suggest the refugees tend to be better-behaved than the typical German. Even if you presume that refugee-related crime is underreported for political reasons, we could find no evidence in German media reports that the country warrants Trump’s ‘riddled-with-crime’ characterization.”<br /><br /> “Because his statement contains some element of truth but ignores critical facts that would give a different impression, we rate it Meist Falsch – Mostly False.”<br /><br /> Some facts:<br /><br /> Germany’s crime rate, particularly for violent crime, is far lower than the US.<br /> The US murder rate is nearly six times higher than that of Germany, according to the most recent report the UN.<br /> The number of refugees in Germany has risen fivefold – by 440%.<br /> The Federal Criminal Police (BKA) say crimes by immigrants rose by 79% in 2015.<br /> In numbers, this means 92,000 more crimes committed by migrants than in previous years<br /> The BKA says the increase tailed off in the latter half of the year, according to Deutsche Welle<br /> The majority are “petty offences” eg theft<br /> Less than 1,000 (1%) are sex crimes, according to Die Welt<br /> Concern over sex crimes peaked after New Year’s Eve after reports of mass assaults in the centre of Cologne.<br /><br /> A 2014 study found that 40% of refugees from North Africa got into legal trouble within 12 months of their arrival, compared to 0.5 % of Syrians.<br /><br /> Read the Politifact report for more in-depth analysis.<br /><br /> “We need extreme vetting of immigrants” – Trump<br /><br /> Earlier in his speech, Trump called for “extreme vetting” of immigrants seeking admission to the United States.<br /><br /> Trump vowed to block those who sympathise with extremist groups or who don’t embrace American values.<br /><br /> ISIL<br /><br /> Trump has made the destruction of the extremist group the centrepiece of his foreign policy. <br /><br /> He has said he would partner with any countries that share the goal, specifically singling out Russia as a nation the US could have a better relationship with.<br /><br /> He also said his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton lacks the “mental and physical stamina” to take on ISIL.<br /><br /> Trump’s campaign aides say the new ideological test for admission to the US would vet applicants for their stance on issues like religious freedom, gender equality and gay rights.<br /><br /> The government would use questionnaires, social media, interviews with friends and family or other means to determine if applicants support American values like tolerance and pluralism.<br /><br /> Under Trump’s plan, the US would stop issuing visas in any case where it cannot perform adequate screenings.<br /><br /> What do his critics say?<br /><br /> While Trump has been harshly critical of President Barack Obama’s handling of the threat posed by ISIL, critics say his own policies for defeating the group remain vague.<br /><br /> His most specific prescriptions centre on changing US immigration policy to keep potential attackers from entering the country.<br />
