President Trump said Gulf States would pay for the safe zones on Saturday

At President Donald Trump's campaign-style rally Saturday, he brought up his plan to create 'safe zones' in Syria in lieu of admitting more refugees.

He also said the Gulf States would pay for the safe zones since the US is in '$20 trillion' of debt at the Melbourne rally.

These types of speeches usually focus on job creation and national security. Trump has brought up the plan before, but it isn't something he usually touches on when speaking about his immigration restrictions.

About Syrian refugees, Trump said: 'And we all have heart, by the way. And what I want to do is build safe zones in Syria and other places so they can stay there and live safely until their cities and their country, that mess that I was left by Obama and everybody else — folks, we were left a mess like you wouldn't believe, but we're going to build safe zones. We're going to have those safe zones.

'We do owe $20 trillion. Okay. So we're going to have the Gulf States pay for those safe zones. They've got nothing, but money.'

The safe zones were not included in the January 27 executive order banning Syrian refugees and immigrants from seven Muslim-majority countries.

President Donald Trump and his wife, First Lady Melania Trump wave to the crowd at the Melbourne rally. Trump reiterated his plan to build 'safe zones' in Syria

In previous speeches, the President has said he wants to take the Gulf States' oil as payment (Trump, pictured on stage at a Melbourne campaign rally yesterday)

The executive order received immediate backlash, many labeling it cruel to reject Syrians who have already started the migration process. There have been protests nationwide since the ban's proposal even though it has been struck down in court.

The line about having a 'heart' was a unique shift in tone for these speeches, many which mainly focus on 'America first.'

These safe zones would be places where civilians would be protected by the international community. Whether or not they would actually be safe from terrorism is controversial.

Trump said the seven Arab countries which border the Persian Gulf would be responsible for paying for these zones. Along a similar vein, he has said Mexico will pay for the southern border wall because they are in debt to the US.

In previous speeches, the President has said he wants to take the Gulf States' oil as payment.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has also proposed a 2,000 square mile 'terror free zone' for refugees to keep them in Syria.

Several people have criticized this plan saying safe zones are not a feasible solution.

In a press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in April last year, President Barack Obama said: 'As a practical matter, sadly, it is very difficult to see how it would operate short of us being willing to militarily take over a chunk of that country.

'And that requires a big military commitment [to protect refugees from attacks].'

Al Jazeera said the approach is similar to how the businessman treated his real estate transactions. In the past Trump has said he plans to buy land and build a safe zone that he says will make the refugees 'happier'.

Trump also brought up a point about how he would help back in January. He told ABC News: 'I'm gonna be the president of a safe country. We have enough problems. Now I'll absolutely do safe zones in Syria for the people.'

People take part in a rally called 'I Am A Muslim Too' in a show of solidarity with American Muslims in Times Square. There have been protests against Trump's travel ban, which has been suspended, every weekend since January 27

'I think that Europe has made a tremendous mistake by allowing these millions of people to go into Germany and various other countries. And all you have to do is take a look. It's — it's a disaster what's happening over there.'

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has voiced concerns about the proposal saying safe zones will not protect civilians from terrorism.

President Assad told Syrian Arab News Agency, a state run news agency: 'Safe zones for the Syrians could only happen when you have stability and security, where you don’t have terrorists, where you don’t have flow and support of those terrorists by the neighboring countries or by Western countries.'

Filippo Grandi, U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, has also said he does not believe safe zones are viable options for refugees.