As Donald Trump continues to ramp up his race-fueled attacks on congresswomen and other individuals of color, members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) and others maintain their pledge to put a halt to the president’s ongoing anti-hate rhetoric.
The Chairs of the Congressional Tri-Caucus — CBC Chair Karen Bass (D-California), Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) and Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus Chair Judy Chu (D-California) say they’re concerned about the the rise in hate crimes and domestic terrorism under Trump’s tenure in the White House.
Jointly, they said Americans should observe the second anniversary of the death of Heather Heyer, a civil rights activist who was killed during the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia.
“In the days, months, and years following the tragedies that took place in El Paso, Charlottesville, and a Sikh Temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, our communities continue to cope with these devastating acts of terrorism,” the trio wrote in a statement.
The statement was released after Trump backed Israel’s decision to bar two Black congresswomen of color from entering the country.
Israel’s leader Benjamin Netanyahu said Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib and Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar — both Democrats — were prohibited from visiting the country.
Netanyahu announced his decision to bar the congresswomen after Trump tweeted that it would “show great weakness” for Israel to allow them to visit the West Bank.
Earlier this summer, Trump tweeted that Tlaib, Omar, Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley and New York Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, to “go back to their countries.”
The president has regularly attacked the group, known as “The Squad.”
The internet news website VOX reported that the four women of color are “all very left-wing, represent very safe seats, are on the younger side for Congress, and have gotten enmeshed in a multifaceted dispute with House Leadership.”
However, it’s believed that the underlying reason for Trump’s attacks against The Squad is their high media visibility which makes them a real threat to the reelection efforts of “the much larger crop of first-term lawmakers who won previously GOP-held seats,” according to VOX.
Members of the Congressional Tri-Caucus said they’re also concerned about the recent shootings and acts of domestic terrorism.
They said they cannot ignore the role Trump’s rhetoric has played in fanning the flames of division and racism.
Since taking office, the President has emboldened white supremacy through his hateful rhetoric and constant attacks on minority communities, caucus members said in the statement.
“Sadly, President Trump has shown he is incapable of accepting responsibility for the rise in hate crimes over the past four years,” they said.
However, that will not stop the Tri-Caucus from demanding the President lead and protect every American — no matter their race, religion, or the color of their skin, the group said.
“The President must commit to no longer using dog whistles, racist remarks, and language of ‘invasion’ to describe our communities or any refugees to our nation,” the statement said.
“The White House must also commit to combating domestic terror threats presented by white supremacists — seeing that it accounts for nearly 100 arrests in the 2019 fiscal year.
“We know our great country has the ability to bring an end to all hate crimes. President Trump must work with Congress to ensure robust federal resources are dedicated to relevant agencies to combat this state of emergency.”
