Jorge Ramos: ‘I no longer recognize’ the US

Univision’s Jorge Ramos argues President Trump has transformed America, ending its longstanding tradition as a beacon for immigrants.

“I’ve always publicly acknowledged that the United States gave me opportunities that Mexico, my country of origin, did not,” Ramos wrote in a Fusion op-ed Tuesday.

“But decades after I arrived here, the anti-immigrant rhetoric being turned into policy under Donald Trump has made me realize that I just don’t recognize this country anymore,” he continued.

{mosads}“All I want is for new immigrants to enjoy the same opportunities that I – and millions of others throughout American history – have received. But for the moment, Trump is making that impossible.”

Ramos also slammed Trump for not pushing for a path toward citizenship for undocumented immigrants.

“Since Republicans control both the House and the Senate, Trump could easily push to give immigrants a chance to stay in the U.S.,” he said. “But he won’t.”

“In 1986, [former President Ronald] Reagan, recognizing the contributions of immigrants, and with the greater good of the country in mind, granted amnesty to about 3 million undocumented people. Trump would rather expel them.”

Ramos was an early critic of Trump’s 2016 presidential run, criticizing the billionaire on border security and illegal immigration. Trump had Ramos escorted out of an August 2015 press conference after the Univision anchor interrupted the event.

Ramos accused Trump of acting like a dictator during the incident, leading the billionaire to label him “a lunatic” during an Aug. 25, 2015, campaign rally in South Carolina.

Ramos in his op-ed Tuesday blasted Trump’s “xenophobia,” saying it “isn’t limited to Mexicans.” He cited the president’s temporary ban on travelers from seven predominantly Muslim nations.

“But it’s no secret that these seven nations have a Muslim majority, and that innocent Muslims with no connections to terror networks will be most harmed,” he wrote.

“People from these seven countries are being arbitrarily punished, along with refugees from the rest of the world. They are being discriminated against because they were born in the wrong country.”

Trump issued an executive order last month imposing a 90-day ban on visitors from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. The measure also froze general refugee admissions into the U.S. for 120 days and indefinitely halted the resettlement of Syrian refugees.

Critics have argued the directive is biased against Muslims, while Trump has countered that it is crucial for preventing “radical Islamic terrorism.” A federal judge in Seattle issued a ruling halting the order last week, which the administration is challenging in court.