Politics

Menendez Staffer Scrambles To Explain Their Own Use Of ‘Racist’ Term ‘Chain Migration’

(REUTERS/Brendan McDermid)

Amber Athey Podcast Columnist
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A communications staffer for Sen. Bob Menendez struggled to explain why his office has used the term “chain migration” despite Menendez calling it “cruel” Tuesday.

Menendez’s office released a joint press release on January 11, 2018 with several other Senators, both Democrat and Republican, indicating that they had reached a bipartisan agreement on immigration. The statement said that they would address “chain migration/family reunification.”

During a CNN interview on Tuesday, however, Menendez said that “chain migration” is “cruel” to descendants of slaves who were brought to the United States in chains. (RELATED: Sen. Menendez: ‘Chain Migration’ Is ‘Cruel’ To Descendants Of Slaves)

A Menendez staffer is now lashing out on Twitter trying to explain why his office signed onto the press release, and he blamed Republicans for forcing them to use “chain migration.”

“Soo…..I see we are just going to totally ignore that forward slash and try to act like that problematic term wasn’t something Republicans demanded be in that JOINT statement?” Juan Pachon, deputy director of communications, tweeted.

Dan Keylin, the communications director for Sen. Thom Tillis, asked Pachon if his team pushed back when they were told they would have to use a term that they find “offensive.”

Pachon asserted that they could not get the deal done without using the “racist language.”

Sen. Dick Durbin, who has also called “chain migration” a “racist” term, was also involved in the January press release. (RELATED: Dick Durbin: ‘Chain Migration’ Is A Racist Term)

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