George W. Bush Says He’s “Disturbed” By Donald Trump’s Immigration Policies

Former President George W. Bush said on Thursday at an event in the Clinton Presidential Center that he is “disturbed” by President Donald Trump‘s immigration policy taking place as tensions continue to rise in the U.S., CNN reported.

Bush told reporters that it “undermines the goodness of America.” “I think it doesn’t recognize the valuable contributions that immigrants make to our society,” Bush said. “And it obscures the fact — the rhetoric does — that the system is broken and needs to be fixed.”

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Bush already spoke out in February against the Trump administration seeking to prioritize Americans over foreign nationals in the immigration debate. At the time, Bush claimed that the U.S. needs cheap labor immigration from developing nations because there are “jobs that Americans won’t do,” Bush said. “Americans don’t want to pick cotton at 105 degrees, but there are [migrant] people who want to put food on their family’s tables and are willing to do that. We ought to say thank you and welcome them.”

Bush’s wife, Laura Bush, penned a scathing op-ed last month calling Trump’s “zero-tolerance” policy that separated migrant children from their parents at the border “cruel” and “immoral.”

Former President Bill Clinton was present for the panel discussion for the graduation ceremony for this year’s class of Presidential Leadership Scholars as well. He similarly disagreed with the current immigration policy, saying that America is experiencing a time of great divide — “People think our differences are more important than what we have in common.”

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CNN previously reported on new guidance issued Wednesday on asylum seekers at the border that could result in thousands of individuals being turned away before they can plead their cases in court. The new guidance, given to the officers who interview asylum seekers at the U.S. borders and evaluate refugee applications, shows that although the administration has reversed its “zero-tolerance” policy, it is continuing hardline immigration tactics.

Article by Steven Abendroth