Trump Weighs In On Death Of NFL Player From Atlanta

ATLANTA, GA — President Donald Trump on Tuesday weighed in on the death of NFL player and Atlanta native Edwin Jackson, using it as an opportunity to push his agenda on illegal immigration. Jackson, 26, was killed early Sunday when a driver who state police say was drunk struck the Indianapolis Colts linebacker and his ride-share driver alongside an Indiana highway. Manuel Orrego-Savala is a native of Nicaragua who authorities say is in the country illegally and has been deported twice.

"So disgraceful that a person illegally in our country killed @Colts linebacker Edwin Jackson," Trump wrote on Twitter. "This is just one of many such preventable tragedies. We must get the Dems to get tough on the Border, and with illegal immigration, FAST!"

Five minutes later, Trump posted a tweet sending his "prayers and best wishes" to Jackson's family. He then tweeted twice more about immigration policy.

None of the tweets mentioned drunk driving which, according to the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention, killed 10,265 Americans in 2015 and claims another life every 51 minutes.

Driver Who Killed Atlanta NFL Player In US Illegally: Police

Jackson was a football and wrestling star at Westlake High School in Atlanta who would go on to play college ball at Georgia Southern University. Indiana State Police say he became ill about 4 a.m. Sunday and his driver, 54-year-old Jeffrey Monroe, pulled over alongside Interstate 70. Both men had gotten out of the car when Orrego-Savala struck them, police say.

Orrego-Savala had been deported in 2007 and again in 2009, according to authorities. Sunday morning, he initially identified himself to state police as Alex Cabrera Gonsales. He was arrested and taken to the Marion County Jail following the crash and a hold was placed on him by federal immigration officials.

Trump using Jackson's death to trumpet his immigration policy didn't sit well with some. On Twitter, many users were comparing his tweets to his attacks on NFL players who have demonstrated during the national anthem to protest racial injustice.

"Funny how fast NFL players went from stuff like 'sons of bitches' to 'a wonderful young man' as soon as Trump wanted to use one's death to push for hardline immigration," wrote film-maker and political activist Adam Best.

At a September rally in Alabama, Trump said that NFL players who sit or kneel during the anthem should lose their jobs. "Get that son of a bitch off the field right now," the president said. "He's fired. He's fired!"

The Sunday after Trump's comments, Indianapolis Colts players locked arms during the national anthem before their game against the Cleveland Browns as several players kneeled. It was the first time Colts players had kneeled since cornerback Antonio Cromartie did so in Week 4 of the previous season.

Speaking to CBS News, Jackson's roommate, Chad Bouchez, said the player affectionately nicknamed "Pound Cake" would not have wanted his tragic death politicized.

"Absolutely not. He would not want that," Bouchez said. "I don't think Edwin would have judged anyone on where they were from or anything else."