CNN’s Paul Begala said Tuesday that the United States “was built by people” like “Haitian immigrants.”
WATCH:
Begala, appearing on a segment about Trump ending temporary protected status for Haitians in the United States on “CNN Newsroom With John Berman and Poppy Harlow,” said, “Well, you wonder why they did it, right? It’s clearly not because of security. There’s no threat from Haitians.”
“And, of course, refugees and other immigrants have a lower crime rate than those of us who are born in America. It can’t be because of jobs, it’s only 59,000 people, and the unemployment rate is at a 17-year low, thanks Barack Obama,” he continued. “It’s got to be something else. Gee, I wonder what it is? It’s politics. This president has not done anything, frankly, to help those folks who helped him sneak through the electoral college and get in.”
“So what he’s going to do instead of helping the people who elected him, he’s going to try to hurt people who don’t look like those who elected him. I think it’s a really low moment. This country really was built by people like those Haitian immigrants who came here seeking the American dream, came here seeking freedom, in this case, came here just seeking a chance to live, and if we send them back to this country their prospects are not very good, Haiti is still badly, badly damaged,” Begala added.