Trump Keeps Calling Venezuelan and Congolese Migrants Criminals

Former President Trump has referred to Venezuelan and Congolese migrants as criminals dozens of times since September 2023, an Axios analysis has found.

The big picture: In a 13-month span, Trump’s speeches about migrants have become darker and apocalyptic with baseless claims the migrants have criminal records, are eating pets and could start “World War III.”

• The unfounded accusations about migrants from African, Asian, Middle Eastern and Latin American countries come as the GOP presidential nominee pushes for mass deportations of immigrants.

By the numbers: An Axios analysis of 109 of Trump’s speeches, debates and interviews found that he has called Venezuelan migrants criminals 70 times and Congolese migrants criminals 29 times from Sept. 1, 2023, to Oct. 2, 2024.

• He’s also called migrants from El Salvador criminals 22 times and those from Honduras criminals 20 times. Trump called migrants from Mexico criminals 13 times and migrants from Guatemala criminals 10 times.
• Of the remarks analyzed by Axios, no European countries appeared on the list.

Karoline Leavitt, national press secretary for the Trump campaign, failed to directly answer why Trump has referred to migrants from various countries as criminals.

• In a statement, Leavitt said the Biden-Harris administration reversed many of the former president’s immigration policies, creating a national security crisis on our southern border.

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State of play: Trump’s comments about migrants (in the country illegally or with temporary status) with criminal records usually follow his promise to remove many migrants from cities with changing demographics.

• He repeatedly has shared false claims about Haitian immigrants eating pets in Springfield, Ohio and vowed to revoke the immigration status for Haitian migrants who are living legally in the U.S.
• Trump also has promised to end birthright citizenship for American-born children of migrants as outlined in the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
• Trump has repeatedly said undocumented immigrants are “poisoning the blood of our country,” language echoing the rhetoric of white supremacists and fascist dictator Adolf Hitler.

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