Dozens of people came together at the Utah Capitol on Monday for a Rally Against Racism in the White House, following President Donald Trump’s reported remarks about Haiti, El Salvador and African countries as “s---hole countries.”
In the same meeting to discuss the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, that allows children brought to the United States illegally to stay, Trump also reportedly said the U.S. should seek immigrants from countries like Norway.
The Utah League of Native American Voters, in partnership with other groups, organized the rally — held on Martin Luther King Jr. Day — to condemn the president’s recent comment, as well as those he made during his campaign and throughout the first year of his presidency.
The group also wants to see condemnation from Utah’s political leaders, including Gov. Gary Herbert, Sen. Orrin Hatch, Sen. Mike Lee, Rep. Chris Stewart, Rep. Rob Bishop and Rep. John Curtis.
Following reports of Trumps comment, Stewart tweeted last week that “Utah has a long history of welcoming immigrants and refugees into our communities. We should continue to do so with respect and dignity.”
Curtis also wrote on his Twitter account last week that he was “dismayed at the reported remarks of the President. We should let in immigrants based on who they are - not their country of origin.”
Rep. Mia Love, a Haitian-American, is the only member of Utah’s congressional delegation to denounceTrump’s comments. Love told CNN on Sunday that Trump was being racist when he called the nations “s---hole countries.”
Trump has denied he made the comment but said the language he used in the meeting about DACA was “tough.”
See photos from the rally in the Tribune gallery below.
