NJ Congressman, Immigrant Calls Trump A ‘Fearmonger’ After Speech

Did President Donald Trump “fearmonger” during his highly watched address to the nation on Tuesday night? That’s the opinion of U.S. Rep. Albio Sires of New Jersey’s 8th Congressional District, an immigrant who called the president's speech a “complete repudiation of American values, history and culture.”

During his speech – which comes as a partial federal government shutdown enters its third week – Trump made his case for building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump said the situation is a national security and humanitarian crisis, a stance that many experts have questioned. (Watch the video at the bottom of this article)

• See related article: Trump's Mythical Terrorist Tide From Mexico (AP FACT CHECK)

After Tuesday’s speech, Sires, a Cuban native who immigrated to the U.S. with his family during the nation’s pre-communism years, didn’t skimp on his disdain for the president’s words.

“Last night, President Trump lied to the American people from the Oval Office,” Sires said. “As an immigrant and the representative for the 8th District of New Jersey, I reject the president’s fearmongering and believe that America will always be great so long as we remember our creation as a country of immigrants.”

The recently reelected Democratic congressman laid into Trump’s speech, particularly his claims about the border wall:

“[Trump] claimed migrants are driven here solely in the hope of economic gain when most are fleeing violence, drug cartels, and hunger. He claimed a wall would stop drug trafficking across the border when government statistics show that most drugs are smuggled through legal ports of entry. He claimed migrants are violent people when statistics show that undocumented immigrants commit less violent crimes than the general population. He claimed migrants are causing a humanitarian crisis at the border, but the true humanitarian crisis stems from President Trump’s complete repudiation of American values, history and culture.”

The 8th District includes the municipalities of Bayonne, Belleville, East Newark, Elizabeth, Fairview, Guttenberg, Harrison, Hoboken, Newark, North Bergen, Union City, Weehawken, West New York, Jersey City and Kearny.

• See related article: This Hudson County Town Has Most Immigrants In NJ, Report Says

Sires isn’t the only New Jersey lawmaker to blast the president after his Tuesday night speech. U.S. Rep. Tom Malinowski said that Trump was “recklessly dishonest” in his address to the nation.

“There is no threat to our safety except for the one created by the president's shutdown of the government, which has weakened security at airports and the border,” Malinowski said. “We must better secure the border, but that can be done with more people and technology, using funds the Congress has provided but that the president has refused to spend.”

• See related article: Rep. Tom Malinowski Condemns Trump's Border Wall Speech

On Monday, prior to Trump’s speech, three top lawmakers in New Jersey stood in solidarity with Sires and scores of federal workers going without pay at Newark Airport to demand an end to the ongoing government shutdown.

The workers at Newark Airport – which include TSA agents, air traffic controllers and customs inspectors – are among 5,000 federal government employees in New Jersey who are going without pay as a result of the shutdown, according to a joint statement from Sires, U.S. Senators Robert Menendez and Cory Booker and U.S. Representative Donald Payne Jr.

“Hardworking New Jerseyans shouldn't be treated as political pawns to fulfill Trump's ludicrous campaign promise of a wall on the Southern border,” Menendez said.

• See related article: 4 NJ Democrat Leaders Blast Trump, Shutdown At Newark Airport

WHAT’S CAUSING THE SHUTDOWN?

The shutdown was born from a bitter Democrat/Republican budget battle that escalated over the holiday season. President Trump is sticking with his demand for money to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, and Democrats, who took control of the U.S. House of Representatives on Jan. 3, are refusing to give him what he wants.

• See related article: GOP, Democrats Trade Blame For Shutdown, No Deal In Sight
• See related article: House Democrats Unveil Plan To Fund Government, But Not A Wall

The shutdown isn't just affecting government workers and their families, many of whom had to pinch pennies over the holiday season due to the lack of a paycheck. It's also throwing a monkey wrench into IRS refunds, SNAP and WIC benefits, school/daycare food programs and immigration courts.

• See related article: 5 Ways Government Shutdown Could Hurt New Jersey
• See related article: New Jersey Workers Pine For Paychecks Amid Government Shutdown

Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site here. Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Photo: sires.house.gov