Most often, Trump tries to disguise his vile racism with dog whistle statements that appease his base but can be explained away by saying that he didn’t mean what it sounded like he meant. His supporters then throw in some laughter about what “snowflakes” the perpetually offended Democrats are.
Trump suggests "we have vast numbers of vehicles [waves hand around] where we don't have very powerful walls or fences… You don't even have a sign saying "Mexico/US".
Rambles on about 'coyotes' with women with "tape on their mouths". Bizarre imagery.#PressBriefing— Yeah, I said it (@aalleyne) January 4, 2019
On Friday, Trump put his racist freak flag on full display during his first press conference of the new year. In describing all the dangers of brown people wanting to come into the country to traffick children and sell drugs, he created some disturbing scenes that depicted undocumented immigrants as lawless animals from whom their own children need protection. In a nonsensical rant, Trump tried to make the case for funding his ridiculous border wall but came off even more crazy than he had previously.
‘These coyotes and these human traffickers they make a right turn … they go as far as the wall is and as far as the barrier is and then they make a left, Welcome to the United States.’
Trump suggesting falsely that off-road vehicular border crossings (by coyotes making a right turn at the existing San Ysidro barrier and a left where it ends) are a significant source of illegal immigration and also falsely that drugs “don’t go through ports of entry.”
— southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) January 4, 2019
Human trafficking, which includes sex trafficking, happens in this country and is perpetrated by people within this country at very high rates. Many of the victims are American runaways lured into prostitution and kept there through violence and forced drug addiction. Some are trafficked by their own parents. The smallest understanding of the issue of human trafficking would teach Trump that trafficking is not an immigration issue. It’s a crime issue, and a border wall will not stop that.
Trump: “These coyotes and these human traffickers they make a right turn … they go as far as the wall is and as far as the barrier is and then they make a left, Welcome to the United States.”
— Erica Werner (@ericawerner) January 4, 2019
One of the primary ways that traffickers are able to keep victims who are not American citizens entrapped is to take their identification documents, knowing how difficult it would be for them to flee without being deported back to their country of origin, a place many became involved in human trafficking while trying to flee. Threats, levied by American as well as foreign traffickers, to have their victims deported or turn them and their children into ICE are helped along with the racist, anti-immigrant rantings of Trump and his supporters.
We're at the White House, where President Trump is addressing the media. It's the first White House press conference of the new year https://t.co/enBoT2zPIT pic.twitter.com/AEctO54gz6
— CNN (@CNN) January 3, 2019
Pretending that the issues around human trafficking involving children or adults are a result of undocumented immigrants coming into the country does nothing more than vilify brown people and ignore the real perpetrators, most of whom in this country are not from Central or South America. Perhaps it would do Trump and the American people a lot of good to instead focus on the real issues instead of worrying about people who look different than they do.
Trump’s insane description of the actions of those who bring undocumented immigrants into the country starts at 39:22.
Featured image screenshot via YouTube
