The House’s lone Haitian-American lawmaker met with President Trump Tuesday morning amid fallout from the president’s reported use of the phrase “shithole countries” to describe Haiti, El Salvador and some African nations during a meeting with lawmakers last Thursday.
Rep. Mia Love (R-Utah) released a statement Tuesday confirming the meeting, which she said was an opportunity to press the president on the importance of reaching a compromise with Democrats on immigration reform.
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In the statement, Love added that she spoke to the president about the importance of attracting the world’s best, “regardless of race,” after Democrats and Love herself called Trump’s comments racist.
“This morning’s meeting was substantive and productive,” Love said in a statement. “We discussed the importance and urgency of finding a solution for DACA recipients, on enhancing border security, and on implementing reforms to ensure our nation continues to attract the world’s top talent, regardless of race.”
“I believe Congress can solve the vast majority of the immigration issues the nation faces. There is already agreement on many important aspects,” she added.
The meeting comes after Love, who is also the House’s lone black female Republican, was pressed by CNN over whether she thought the president’s remarks concerning Haiti were “racist.”
“Yes,” she responded in an interview Sunday. “I can’t defend the indefensible. You have to understand that there are countries that struggle out there. But their people, their people are good people and they’re part of us. We’re Americans.”
Trump himself has denied using the phrase to describe Haiti and the other countries, accusing Democrats of making the story up to avoid a deal with Republicans on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), an Obama-era program protecting certain immigrants that Trump has rescinded. The White House initially did not deny the comments in a statement Thursday night. The president’s denial came the next morning on Twitter.
“Never said anything derogatory about Haitians other than Haiti is, obviously, a very poor and troubled country. Never said ‘take them out.’ Made up by Dems. I have a wonderful relationship with Haitians,” Trump tweeted Friday.