Democrats and others on the left criticized President Donald Trump Monday for tying immigration reform to a call for “stronger background checks” following two weekend mass shootings.
A gunman killed 22 people and injured over two dozen others Saturday at an El Paso, Texas, Walmart. Fourteen hours later, a second gunman killed nine people and injured 26 others in downtown Dayton, Ohio, early Sunday morning.
“We cannot let those killed in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton, Ohio, die in vain. Likewise for those so seriously wounded,” Trump tweeted Monday. “We can never forget them, and those many who came before them. Republicans and Democrats must come together and get strong background checks, perhaps marrying this legislation with desperately needed immigration reform. We must have something good, if not GREAT, come out of these two tragic events!”
Amnesty International, an organized focused on human rights, tweeted against Trump’s comments, calling him out for including immigration. (RELATED: Dayton’s Shooter’s Now-Suspended Twitter Appears To Have Had Pro-Antifa, Pro-Gun Control Comments)
“Gun violence reform cannot come at the expense of the human rights of any community. When President Trump links background checks for guns with immigration reform, he is once again demonizing immigrants and communities of color. (2/5)
— Amnesty International (@amnestyusa) August 5, 2019
The Trump administration will stop at nothing to shut down the border and limit safety to those who most need it. It is outrageous to denounce bigotry in one breath and terrorize the community that was targeted in one of these shootings. (3/5)
— Amnesty International (@amnestyusa) August 5, 2019
2020 presidential candidates weighed in as well, with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand saying Trump was demonizing people.
“[Trump’s] linking the issue of basic, common sense gun reform that we should be going back into the Senate today to vote on with this issue of immigration because, again, he continues to demonize people seeking asylum, people needing our help,” the New York Democrat said Monday on CNN.
Democratic Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan expressed his outrage over Trump’s tweets on CNN’S New Day With Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.
“That’s an absolute freaking joke that he’s going to tie this to the most polarizing issue happening in the United States today around immigration reform,” Ryan said on CNN Monday. “This is very clear cut: there are people getting access to guns that shouldn’t be.”
WATCH:
Democratic Conneticut Sen. Chris Murphy tweeted that “Tying background checks to immigration reform is a transparent play to do nothing.”
MSNBC contributor Joyce Alene tweeted that Trump’s comments were “sinister.”
This is sinister. Why do shootings mean we need immigration reform? By linking them, Trump blames the victims for the terrorism that took their lives. He throws red meat to his base-let’s keep Hispanics out of our country-in response to the crimes of a white supremacist. https://t.co/NYVZlVDCvb
— Joyce Alene (@JoyceWhiteVance) August 5, 2019
Following the tweets, Trump condemned white supremacy at a press conference and said that “hate has no place in America.”
“The shooter in El Paso posted a manifesto online consumed by racist hate. In one voice, our nation must condemn racism, bigotry, and white supremacy,” Trump said Monday. “These sinister ideologies must be defeated. Hate has no place in America. Hatred warps the mind, ravages the heart and devours the soul.”
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