Kevin de León Responds to Trump

On November 9th, 2016, many of us woke up feeling like strangers in a foreign land; abandoned by Donald Trump's dark vision for the future of America - one that included some, and excluded many.

By a margin in the millions, Californians overwhelmingly rejected politics fueled by resentment, bigotry, and misogyny and embraced a resistance fueled by diversity and inclusivity. 

Last night San Diego joined the majority of Californians in supporting SB54, which protects immigrant families and keeps our communities safe. 

Yesterday, Trump brought a gaggle of Republican, anti-immigrant politicians from California to the White House, to plot against the policies that keep all of our residents safe. 

The entire meeting was disappointing, but when President Trump called immigrants "animals," it became offensive. 

Our hardworking immigrant families aren’t “animals”, Mr. President. 

The families you’re tearing apart are people, just like you. No matter how hard you try, you can’t strip away their humanity.

Mr. President, you're lying through your teeth because you're terrified Republicans will lose control of Congress. I have news for you: California -- the largest state in the union and the strongest driver of our nation’s economy -- will make sure they do.

We will not allow this one electoral aberration to reverse decades of California’s progress. Not at the height of our historic diversity, economic output, and sense of global responsibility.

I’m running for U.S. Senate to build an economy that works for everyone, expand Medicare for all, and give all students a chance to achieve their dreams so future generations can thrive. This vision for the future of California isn’t just mine, it’s ours.

From Politico:

Trump needs cooperation of Mexico.

U.S., MEXICO TALK ASYLUM DEAL: President Donald Trump blasted Mexico Wednesday for lackluster border security efforts during a White House roundtable event focused on so-called sanctuary policies. "Mexico does nothing for us," he said. "They do nothing for us. Mexico talks, but they do nothing for us, especially at the border. Certainly don't help us much on trade. But especially at the border, they do nothing for us." 

The comment won't serve as a particularly good conversation starter during this morning's bilateral talks between the U.S. and Mexico about a possible asylum agreement. Officials from the two countries will convene at USCIS headquarters to explore the mechanics of a possible "safe third country" deal, which would require migrants to seek asylum in Mexico if they entered that country en route to the U.S., POLITICO's Ted Hesson reports.

An asylum deal with Mexico could greatly reduce the flow of Central American migrants to the southwest border. But there are a few obvious and substantial obstacles. One of these is Trump himself. He opened his presidential campaign by calling Mexican immigrants "rapists," and he's repeatedly insisted that Mexico must pay for a border wall, a fixation that reportedly derailed a planned visit to the U.S. earlier this year by Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto. 

Another obstacle is that the U.S. must find something to give Mexico in return for accepting more asylum seekers. "The most obvious answer is leverage in negotiations over the North American Free Trade Agreement," Hesson writes. "As the two countries and Canada continue to discuss a reworked version of NAFTA, any number of concessions could viewed as a trade-off."

Then there's the Mexican presidential election, set for July 1, though that's starting to look less like an obstacle and more like an incentive. Initially the looming election seemed an impediment to a possible deal because Mexico's ruling party didn't want to appear too acquiescent to Trump. But now it looks as though Mexican's ruling party is going to lose to the front-running leftist candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who opposes accommodationism toward the U.S. If that's the case, then the Trump administration and the administration of Peña Nieto (who isn't running for re-election) have only until July 1 to strike an asylum deal. Read more from POLITICO here.

Trump's 'animal' comments: At the White House roundtable, Trump applied the same dehumanizing language he's used in the past to describe MS-13 gang members. "You wouldn't believe how bad these people are," he said in response to a comment about MS-13. "These aren't people, these are animals, and we're taking them out of the country at a level and at a rate that's never happened before."