Derogatory Remarks

Trump’s Derogatory Comments Revive Racist Legacy in Immigration Policy

Media outlets around the globe reported on President Trump’s disparaging comments regarding nationals of certain countries. According to the Washington Post, during a discussion with lawmakers in the White House regarding protections for immigrants from Haiti, El Salvador, and African countries on Thursday, the president asked “Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?” He suggested instead that the United States should bring more people from countries such as Norway.

At a very minimum these comments are incredibly offensive. But the president’s remarks are also the expression of a deeper conception of what our nation is or should be; in other words, the values upon which our society should be organized.

Racism has deep roots in U.S. immigration policies and laws. While we routinely hear and uncritically accept the mantra that “the United States is a country of immigrants,” that statement should be taken with a grain of salt. Yes, immigration has played a significant role in the formation of the American people.

Yet, a review of the history of U.S. immigration policy reveals the existence of immigration regimes by which individuals from certain countries were explicitly or implicitly denied admission based on their nationality.