Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) said on CNN’s “The Source” on Tuesday that President Joe Biden should not use executive orders on immigration because that’s what “xenophobic and racist” former President Donald Trump did.
“We all want an immigration system that is orderly, that is expedited, that allows people to enter the country through a variety of legal routes. Republicans have been blocking us from doing that, but not by coercion, only by actions like the president is taking today, which is similar to what Donald Trump has done,” Jayapal said.
She continued, “I think this is a mistake Democrats make over and over again. I’ve been working on this issue for 20 years. I’m the ranking member of the immigration subcommittee. We’re making the mistake of trying to outdo Republicans. If they’re fighting us on immigration, they’re not going to come for us.”
Jayapal added, “I think the president could have handled it differently. I expressed that directly to the president. I think as Democrats, we need to lean into an inclusive vision on immigration. We really have to continue to show how we are different from Donald Trump, who is xenophobic, who is racist and has said terrible things about immigrants. I know that President Biden is not that person, but using the same tactics that Donald Trump used is a huge problem for the Democratic Party to continue to be different and retain its base.”
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