Representative Raúl Grijalva (D-AZ) predicted that “racially-motivated violence” will “increase in this country as a consequence of Trump’s rhetoric” on Thursday’s “MSNBC Live.”
Grijalva said he “absolutely” found the term “anchor babies” offensive. He continued, we’re talking about the 14th Amendment. He’s [Trump] talking about repealing it. He’s appealing to a very base emotion by saying these are anchor babies and don’t have the birthright of citizenship, and should be taken out of this country, along where the purported 11 million other human beings that he wants to deport, regardless of their status, and regardless of any criminality, which should be the criteria. But anyway, he has done an effective job of dumbing down the discussion of immigration reform. He’s done an effective job of frightening most of the presidential field — the Republican presidential field into trying to, at least accommodate this very offensive, divisive, and in instances, racist rhetoric that Trump is using, and in doing so, has brought the conversation of immigration back to where it was eight, ten years ago, after failed attempts on the part of Congress to try to deal with immigration reform the way it should be done. This dumbing down is more of a campaign tactic, and it is — this division is more of a campaign tactic, and I think Trump is benefiting from being the one that is most offensive and the one furthest out there on the issue of immigration reform, and basic constitutional law.” He added that other Republican presidential candidates “are not rising to what, I believe, is a moral imperative, to talk about this rationally.”
Grijalva also stated, “I expect more from anyone other than Trump running for president of the United States. And what he has done, when I said dumbing down the conversation, is exactly that. The base has now been lowered to a very, very low point, and now you have Bush trying to accommodate, and beginning the conversation at that low base on immigration reform and what [we] should be doing. We’re not talking about any comprehensive discussion about immigration reform. We’re not talking about anything dealing with legitimate issues around the issue of immigration reform. We’re talking about a very base issue, a 2,000 mile wall, that’s impossible, repealing the 14th Amendment, that’s impossible, deporting 11 million people, that’s impossible, and now repealing the 14th Amendment. I think that people trying to — starting from that base, there’s not a lot of room to go.”
Grijalva then argued ending birthright citizenship would not only hurt, “the efficiency of the Constitution, but you know, this is a country — and, you know, all of us are here, either as a consequence of immigration of our forefathers, all of us are here, either voluntarily or involuntarily, came to this country. The only real first Americans are the Native Americans in this country. So, one’s lineage is based on that ability of a person to come to this country, work hard, their children, and their forebearers in the future, become the major part — contributors to this great nation. So, where — it’s not only about the constitutional issue, it’s about a legacy issue, a nation of immigrants is just that.”
He concluded, “I think you’re going to see the inciden[ce] of violence, racially-motivated violence, increase in this country as a consequence of Trump’s rhetoric. To say this is about passion and love of nation, is to try to camouflage [what] is a very base appeal to the worst instincts, and to the racial division that he is fomenting in this country. Has nothing to do with patriotism. Patriotism is a shared [feeling]. It doesn’t belong to any race, creed, color in this country. And for him to identify it on a racial basis, I think feeds that narrative, I’m doing this because I’m a patriot. That is completely false, and goes against every instinct. And Trump, while enjoying the attention, is also contributing to the division.”
(h/t Real Clear Politics)
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
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