It’s no surprise to anyone when Donald Trump makes false and misleading statements. At this point in his presidency, it’s just expected. Trump spent most of Sunday tweeting insults and complaints, including one on his favorite topic: immigration.
Trump uses fear-mongering to incite his rabid fanbase, insisting that the policy allows violent criminals to roam the country, raping and killing American citizens. In truth, only a small number of immigrants qualify for the “catch and release” policy, and the vast majority have committed no crime. They didn’t even enter the country illegally.
As The Washington Post noted when Trump told his followers that “catch and release” is a liberal, Democratic policy, a claim that earned him a three Pinnochios rating:
‘There’s no hard and fast definition, but “catch and release” usually refers to U.S. immigration authorities’ practice of releasing unauthorized immigrants while they await immigration hearings, rather than keeping them in custody.
‘With some exceptions, only children and asylum-seekers are eligible for this kind of release.’
In truth, “catch and release” is a policy that was developed under the administration of George W. Bush. Despite Trump’s endless claims that the policy has increased the number of undocumented immigrants, the Center for Migration Studies reports that the undocumented population in the U.S. declined sharply under President Obama after having already been on the decline for some time.
Twitter was not fooled by Trump’s rant. Read some of their comments below:
