“Donald Trump has denigrated undocumented immigrants in recent weeks by accusing them of ‘poisoning the blood of our country,’ associating them with drug and alcohol use and portraying them as dangerous threats to Americans, prompting widespread criticism and denunciations of racism and xenophobia from immigrant and civil rights groups,” the Washington Post reports.
Said Trump in Iowa: “These people are very aggressive: They drink, they have drugs, a lot of things happening.”
And in New Hampshire: “People are pouring into our country, and we have no idea from where they come.”
“Trump’s recent comments, coming as President Biden has struggled to contain an increase in illegal crossings at the Southern border, reflect the ex-president’s effort to put the border and immigration at the forefront of his bid to return to the White House. His at-times escalating attacks have energized his base of supporters while prompting a growing wave of alarm from immigrant advocates, particularly as Trump is the clear polling leader in the race for the GOP nomination.”
