Overview
- At a Dec. 9 Pennsylvania rally, President Trump revisited the 2018 Oval Office meeting and said, “why is it we only take people from shithole countries?”
- He also touted a “permanent pause” on migration from “Third World” nations, with actions affecting applications from at least 19 countries including Afghanistan, Haiti and Somalia.
- FactCheck.org reported that Trump’s new account confirms Sen. Dick Durbin’s 2018 description of the meeting and contradicts the president’s denials at the time.
- Advocates in Boston said USCIS interrupted naturalization ceremonies, telling some applicants they could not take the oath because of their countries of origin.
- Escalated ICE operations and disparaging attacks on Somalis and Rep. Ilhan Omar prompted muted reactions on Capitol Hill, as some Republicans defended Trump and community leaders warned of fear and discrimination.