FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 11, 2018
CONTACT: Gabriela Melendez, gmelendez@aclu.org, 202-906-9605
WASHINGTON — President Trump reportedly opposed including protections for people from Haiti and African countries in an immigration deal, calling those places “shithole countries.” According to media reports, Trump made the comments at a White House meeting about Dreamer legislative negotiations, asking why he should allow immigrants in from those countries rather than places like Norway.
Lorella Praeli, American Civil Liberties Union director of immigration policy and campaigns, said:
“President Trump has been consistently honest about the white nationalism behind his immigration policies. His latest salvo is directly contrary to the decision Congress made in 1965 to do away with the racist per-country quotas of the past and bring our immigration policies in line with the civil rights era.
“The crisis facing Dreamers, manufactured by the Trump White House, is an urgent one. It is incumbent on responsible members of Congress to stand up for a different vision of our country, to reject attempts to derail legislative progress, and to deliver on the urgently needed legislative solution for Dreamers.”
