President Trump grew frustrated with lawmakers Thursday in the Oval Office when they discussed protecting immigrants from Haiti , El Salvador and African countries as part of a bipartisan immigration deal, according to several people briefed on the meeting .
“Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here ?” Trump said , according to these people, referring to countries mentioned by the lawmakers .
Trump then suggested that the United States should instead bring more people from countries such as Norway , whose prime minister he met with Wednesday . The president , according to a White House official , also suggested he would be open to more immigrants from Asian countries because he felt they help the United States economically.
In addition , the president singled out Haiti , telling lawmakers that immigrants from that country must be left out of any deal, these people said .
“Why do we need more Haitians ?” Trump said , according to people familiar with the meeting. “ Take them out . ”
Lawmakers were taken aback by the comments , according to people familiar with their reactions . Sens . Lindsey O . Graham (R- S . C. ) and Richard J . Durbin ( D- Ill . ) had proposed cutting the visa lottery program by 50 percent and then prioritizing countries already in the system , a White House official said .
A White House spokesman defended Trump’ s position on immigration without directly addressing his remarks. White House officials did not dispute the account .
[ 200 , 000 Salvadorans may be forced to leave the U . S . as Trump ends immigration protection]
“Certain Washington politicians choose to fight for foreign countries , but President Trump will always fight for the American people, ” spokesman Raj Shah said in a statement issued after The Washington Post first reported Trump’ s remarks . “ . . . Like other nations that have merit - based immigration , President Trump is fighting for permanent solutions that make our country stronger by welcoming those who can contribute to our society, grow our economy and assimilate into our great nation . ”
Trump built his candidacy and presidency around hard stances on immigration , vowing to build a wall along the Mexican border and cut legal immigration by half , among other positions . Officials at the Department of Homeland Security have increased immigration raids, including dozens this week at convenience stores across the country.
Late Thursday , Trump took to Twitter to push for a border wall . “ The Democrats seem intent on having people and drugs pour into our country from the Southern Border, risking thousands of lives in the process , ” he tweeted. “ It is my duty to protect the lives and safety of all Americans. We must build a Great Wall, think Merit and end Lottery & Chain . USA !”
Trump’ s earlier comments in the day also put further scrutiny on his long -standing tendency to make racially charged remarks — including attacks on protesting black athletes and his claim that there were fine people “ on both sides ” after neo - Nazis rioted in Charlottesville, Va. Trump falsely claimed for years that Barack Obama was not born in the United States and took out advertisements calling for the death penalty for members of the Central Park Five — four black youths and a Hispanic youth who were accused of a brutal rape in New York and later exonerated.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-attacks-protections-for-immigrants-from-shithole-countries-in-oval-office-meeting/2018/01/11/bfc0725c-f711-11e7-91af-31ac729add94_story.html?utm_term=.56876a6db820