Trump: Dems want illegal immigrants to ‘infest our country’

by Brooke Seipel - 06/19/18 10:41 AM ET

President Trump on Tuesday restated his support for his administration’s policy of separating migrant families at the U.S. border, calling Democrats “the problem.”

“We must always arrest people coming into our Country illegally. Of the 12,000 children, 10,000 are being sent by their parents on a very dangerous trip, and only 2000 are with their parents, many of whom have tried to enter our Country illegally on numerous occasions,” he wrote on Twitter.

“Democrats are the problem. They don’t care about crime and want illegal immigrants, no matter how bad they may be, to pour into and infest our Country, like MS-13. They can’t win on their terrible policies, so they view them as potential voters!” he continued in another tweet.

We must always arrest people coming into our Country illegally. Of the 12,000 children, 10,000 are being sent by their parents on a very dangerous trip, and only 2000 are with their parents, many of whom have tried to enter our Country illegally on numerous occasions.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 19, 2018

Democrats are the problem. They don’t care about crime and want illegal immigrants, no matter how bad they may be, to pour into and infest our Country, like MS-13. They can’t win on their terrible policies, so they view them as potential voters!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 19, 2018

Trump’s comments were part of a longer series of tweets on immigration in general, which touched upon Germany’s immigration problems.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced the “zero tolerance” policy earlier this year, saying the Department of Justice would criminally prosecute all adults attempting to illegally cross the southern border into the U.S. As a result, families who crossed together would in some cases be separated, he said.

The policy, according to The Associated Press, has resulted in 2,000 migrant children being separated from their parents.

Members of Congress have introduced legislation to end the practice of separating families, but continue to urge Trump to unilaterally stop the separations.

Trump has maintained, however, that Democrats are to blame for the separation, and has defended his immigration policies.

Media figures, authors, comedians and Democratic lawmakers condemned Trump’s language on Tuesday, saying that to compare migrant children with gang members and use the word “infest” was not appropriate.

Conflating gang members with small children being separated from their parents… https://t.co/lVfAnjuexe

— Chris Cillizza (@CillizzaCNN) June 19, 2018

So Democrats both want to bring in illegal immigrants no matter how bad they are but are also somehow responsible for family separations and imprisoning children? https://t.co/NEfFBnuplw

— ana marie cox (@anamariecox) June 19, 2018

Trump uses the word “INFEST” to describe immigrants.

THIS IS DEHUMANIZATION.

This is PRECISELY the verb Hitler used to describe Jews. https://t.co/bYCzYDSEzU

— Mikel Jollett (@Mikel_Jollett) June 19, 2018

“Infest.” The “president” has infested this country with hate & allowed racists & low travelers sunlight. We will not rest until the Trump Infestation is dispatched.

— John Weaver (@JWGOP) June 19, 2018

Donald Trump just said immigrants will “infest” the country, as though they are vermin.

He ties that racist language to his detention of thousands of children and family separation policy.

This is a dark moment in our country’s history. pic.twitter.com/2IdmyZ4rQL

— Rep. Don Beyer (@RepDonBeyer) June 19, 2018

“Infest.” Trump’s dehumanizing language continues—as it always does—by lumping nonviolent illegal immigrants in with violent gangs. https://t.co/qqfAS7pJAp

— Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) June 19, 2018