President Trump took a dehumanizing shot at undocumented immigrants Wednesday, disparaging them as “animals,” not “people.”
Trump’s harsh comment, which set off an avalanche of outrage over social media, came in response to a lament from a California sheriff who said her state’s sanctuary laws prevent local police from alerting federal authorities about MS-13 gang members.
“We have people coming into the country, or trying to come in,” Trump said. “You wouldn’t believe how bad these people are. These aren’t people. These are animals.”
While the remark followed Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Sims’ statement about gangbangers, Trump didn’t once reference violence or gang activity in his response, instead capping it off with a sweeping rebuke of U.S. immigration laws.
“Because of the weak laws, they come in fast, we get them, we release them, we get them again,” Trump said. “As I said before, the dumbest laws on immigration in the world. So we’re going to take care of it.”
Trump’s comments drew instant ire from immigration activists, who stressed that his usage of the slur appeared to apply to undocumented immigrants in general.
“This is sick,” Voto Latino, a Washington-based advocacy group, tweeted. “Immigrants are not animals. Immigrants are hardworking men and women who are seeking better futures for their children away from violence.”
Juan Escalante, a Venezuelan immigrant and communications manager at America’s Voice, said his heart sank when he read a news story about Trump’s comment.
“When the President says ‘animals’ like that, he is speaking of an entire category of people he considers unworthy of the American dream,” Escalante, a beneficiary of the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, told the Daily News. “He continues to undermine American values, and it’s shameful.”
During Wednesday’s roundtable discussion at the White House, Trump also urged the Justice Department to investigate Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf for obstruction of justice over her recently warning residents of an imminent Immigration and Customs Enforcement raid.
ICE has become significantly more aggressive since Trump took office, with skyrocketing deportation rates of undocumented immigrants without criminal records. Previous administrations have mostly focused on deporting undocumented immigrants with violent records.
The Wednesday sitdown comes as the Trump administration continues to ramp up its hawkish immigration agenda.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced last week that immigration agents will start separating children from their undocumented parents, and “if you don’t like that, then don’t smuggle children.”
Sessions’ so-called “zero tolerance” announcement was followed by Trump berating Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen during a cabinet meeting, blasting her for not doing enough to deport undocumented immigrants, according to multiple reports.
Nielsen reportedly considered resigning over Trump’s blowup, but decided against it at the eleventh hour.
On Wednesday, Trump commended Nielsen on doing a “good job.”
“It’s not an easy job,” Trump said. “I know what you’re going through right now with families . . . . It’s a horrible thing. We have to break up families.”
