Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., lambasted President Trump’s immigration plan and labeled portions of it “very racist.”
“There should be comprehensive immigration reform and not immigration reform that is based on exciting and inciting those people who have negative thoughts about others coming across our border and basically working to use that information to promote himself in a campaign,” Waters said during an interview with CNN Friday morning. “And I think some of that is very racist. It is not keeping with what this country is supposed to be all about.”
President Trump rolled out his new immigration plan on Thursday, and calls for a “merit-based” system and demands future immigrants to learn English already be financially self-sufficient before they come to the U.S. They also would be forced to pass a civics exam.
“This business about you must speak English, we’re going to give you points for speaking English,” Waters said. “We don’t want poor people, we only want those people who are earning substantial wages already. All of those things are not keeping in step with the way that we treat human beings.”
Trump signaled that Democrats wouldn’t get on board with the proposal on Thursday, but said that he would try to get it passed after the 2020 elections in the event that Republicans regain control of the House.
“If for some reason, possibly political, we can’t get the Democrats to approve this merit-based, high-security plan, then we will get it approved immediately after the election, when we take back the House, keep the Senate, and of course, hold the presidency,” Trump said. “But wouldn’t it be nice to do it sooner than that?”
Members of Trump’s own party have cast doubt on whether the proposal could be passed, including Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina who said that the proposal is “not designed to become law.”
[Related: Ann Coulter: If Trump knew English he would understand the meaning of ‘WALL’]
