Last week, in an Oval Office meeting to discuss a path forward for Dreamers, President Donald Trump made the now-infamous comment that he’d like fewer immigrants from African nations—what he described as “shithole countries.” Obviously, Michele and Igor have a lot to discuss. They take a deep dive into the long history of Trump’s racist behavior, from discriminating against black Americans who wanted to rent his apartments in the 1970s to launching a presidential campaign where he called Mexicans “rapists.” Michele and Igor are joined by Phil Wolgin, managing director for Immigration Policy at CAP, and Rejane Frederick, associate director for the Poverty to Prosperity Program at CAP. They provide the context behind the nation’s racist immigration policies and explain today’s power structures that perpetuate many of these ideologies.
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Michele Jawando is a vice president at the Center for American Progress. Igor Volsky is a vice president at the Center. Sally Tucker is the radio coordinator for Communications at the Center. Rachel Rosen is the senior director of Broadcast Communications at the Center. Philip Wolgin is the managing director of Immigration Policy at the Center. Rejane Frederick is an associate director for the Poverty to Prosperity Program at the Center.