Republican Sen. Ted Cruz criticized a now-deleted tweet by Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar that many conservatives deemed racist.
In a now-deleted tweet posted Tuesday night, Ms. Omar claimed that a merit-based immigration policy like the one proposed by President Trump is “fueled by racism towards the Latinx community.”
“Our immigration policies shouldn’t be based on discrimination, fear, or bigotry,” the Minnesota congresswoman wrote. “We should welcome immigrants to our country and offer a simple way to citizenship.”
The tweet sparked a wave of backlash and allegations of racism from the right, including by Mr. Cruz, who said he’s “troubled” by the idea that Hispanic immigrants “can’t qualify” for merit-based immigration.
“As the son of a Cuban immigrant whose Dad came to get a math degree & become a computer programmer, I’m troubled that Dems seem to believe Hispanic immigrants can’t qualify for skills-based legal immigration,” the senator wrote. “Bringing in more scientists, engineers & doctors is good for US jobs.”
Ms. Omar, a Somali immigrant who has faced multiple allegations of anti-Semitism since her election last year, appeared to respond to the criticism in a tweet late Tuesday referencing an May 22 analysis by The Washington Post, titled, “What’s behind the desire for ‘skilled’ immigrants? Racial prejudice.”
In her tweet, Ms. Omar quoted a line from the article that read, “Our research suggests that prejudice against Latinos is an important, if veiled, reason that some Americans advocate admitting primarily highly educated, highly skilled immigrants.”
As the son of a Cuban immigrant whose Dad came to get a math degree & become a computer programmer, I’m troubled that Dems seem to believe Hispanic immigrants can’t qualify for skills-based legal immigration. Bringing in more scientists, engineers & doctors is good for US jobs. https://t.co/iugniZgJtL
— Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) May 29, 2019
“Our research suggests that prejudice against Latinos is an important, if veiled, reason that some Americans advocate admitting primarily highly educated, highly skilled immigrants.”
— Ilhan Omar (@IlhanMN) May 29, 2019
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