Families who have lost members at the hands of illegal immigrants were special guests of president Tuesday at his address to a joint session of Congress, in an effort to highlight his administration’s crackdown on immigration and border security. Jamiel Shaw Sr., who lost his son at the hands of illegal immigrants in 2008 and spoke at the Republican National Convention last year, was one of six guestsseated by First Lady Melania Trump.
Jessica Davis and Susan Oliver, widows ofwidows of Detective Michael Davis and Deputy Sheriff Danny Oliver who were killed by illegal immigrants in the line of duty in 2014, were among them.
Trump used the stories of these families to highlight his executive orders cracking down on illegal immigration and calling for stronger border security.
“Americamust put its own citizens first, because only then can we truly Make America Great Again,” Trump said in his nearly hour-long speech.
Immigrants’ rights advocate and deputy legal director to the national American Civil Liberties Union Ceclia Wang, decried the insinuation that Amercian’s had something to fear in immigrants. “Immigration status is not predictive of crime. Using grieving families to fan flames of xenophobia is sick,” she tweeted.
Immigration status is not predictive of crime. Using grieving families to fan flames of xenophobia is sick. #JointSession
— Cecillia Wang (@WangCecillia) March 1, 2017
