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| 5% of Congress Was Born Abroad. Those Members Show What It Means to Be American. | 5% of Congress Was Born Abroad. Those Members Show What It Means to Be American. |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| WASHINGTON — When President Trump suggested foreign-born Americans should “go back” to the countries they were born in, he may not have realized that his entreaty could clear out five percent of Congress. | WASHINGTON — When President Trump suggested foreign-born Americans should “go back” to the countries they were born in, he may not have realized that his entreaty could clear out five percent of Congress. |
| In all, 29 members of the House and Senate were born abroad, about half of them to parents serving in the military or working overseas. Republicans like Representatives Mark Meadows of North Carolina, born in an Army hospital in France, and David Rouzer, also of North Carolina and born in an Army hospital in West Germany, mostly stood by the president, who aimed his remarks at four progressive House Democratic women of color, only one of whom was born outside the United States. | In all, 29 members of the House and Senate were born abroad, about half of them to parents serving in the military or working overseas. Republicans like Representatives Mark Meadows of North Carolina, born in an Army hospital in France, and David Rouzer, also of North Carolina and born in an Army hospital in West Germany, mostly stood by the president, who aimed his remarks at four progressive House Democratic women of color, only one of whom was born outside the United States. |
| “No, I don’t think it’s racist,” Mr. Rouzer said. | “No, I don’t think it’s racist,” Mr. Rouzer said. |
| But to others, Mr. Trump’s words — which he repeated on Tuesday — hit home in a deeply personal way. Their feelings will be reflected in the resolution the House takes up Tuesday condemning Mr. Trump. Immigrant Democrats will lead the effort on the House floor. | But to others, Mr. Trump’s words — which he repeated on Tuesday — hit home in a deeply personal way. Their feelings will be reflected in the resolution the House takes up Tuesday condemning Mr. Trump. Immigrant Democrats will lead the effort on the House floor. |
| “I first took the oath to support and defend the Constitution when I was 10 years old,” said Representative Tom Malinowski, who was born in Poland and came here when he was six, after his mother met an American journalist. “That’s meant a lot to me all my life.” | “I first took the oath to support and defend the Constitution when I was 10 years old,” said Representative Tom Malinowski, who was born in Poland and came here when he was six, after his mother met an American journalist. “That’s meant a lot to me all my life.” |
| Mr. Trump’s “go back” remarks have long been a thread through the fabric of the United States, a nation founded by people who came from somewhere else. In every era, in every generation, and particularly in times of economic anxiety, notions of “the other” have seeped into the American psyche. But no modern president — not even Franklin D. Roosevelt, who ordered the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II — has made such aggressive use of his platform to whip up a fervor about foreigners. | Mr. Trump’s “go back” remarks have long been a thread through the fabric of the United States, a nation founded by people who came from somewhere else. In every era, in every generation, and particularly in times of economic anxiety, notions of “the other” have seeped into the American psyche. But no modern president — not even Franklin D. Roosevelt, who ordered the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II — has made such aggressive use of his platform to whip up a fervor about foreigners. |
| That is making even some Republicans uncomfortable. | That is making even some Republicans uncomfortable. |
| Representative Daniel Crenshaw, a freshman Republican from Texas, expressed unease with Mr. Trump’s comments. The former Navy SEAL was born to American parents in Scotland, where his father worked in the oil industry, and also spent part of his childhood in Ecuador and Colombia. | Representative Daniel Crenshaw, a freshman Republican from Texas, expressed unease with Mr. Trump’s comments. The former Navy SEAL was born to American parents in Scotland, where his father worked in the oil industry, and also spent part of his childhood in Ecuador and Colombia. |
| “I don’t agree with the president’s remarks, but that doesn’t mean I accept the rhetoric we hear repeatedly from this group of lawmakers either,” he said in an emailed statement. “As someone who sacrificed for our country and buried too many friends, I find the constantly negative, anti-American comments concerning and tiresome.” | “I don’t agree with the president’s remarks, but that doesn’t mean I accept the rhetoric we hear repeatedly from this group of lawmakers either,” he said in an emailed statement. “As someone who sacrificed for our country and buried too many friends, I find the constantly negative, anti-American comments concerning and tiresome.” |
| There are 14 members of Congress — all Democrats, 13 in the House and one in the Senate — who became citizens after emigrating to the United States, either through naturalization or a parent’s citizenship. They come from countries like India, Peru, Mexico, Guatemala, Vietnam and Taiwan. | There are 14 members of Congress — all Democrats, 13 in the House and one in the Senate — who became citizens after emigrating to the United States, either through naturalization or a parent’s citizenship. They come from countries like India, Peru, Mexico, Guatemala, Vietnam and Taiwan. |
| Senator Mazie K. Hirono, Democrat of Hawaii, is a naturalized citizen, born in Japan; her mother came to this country fleeing an abusive husband, she said. Representative Jesús “Chuy” García, is a naturalized citizen from Mexico. Representative Adriano Espaillat, Democrat of New York, is a naturalized citizen, born in the Dominican Republic. | Senator Mazie K. Hirono, Democrat of Hawaii, is a naturalized citizen, born in Japan; her mother came to this country fleeing an abusive husband, she said. Representative Jesús “Chuy” García, is a naturalized citizen from Mexico. Representative Adriano Espaillat, Democrat of New York, is a naturalized citizen, born in the Dominican Republic. |
| “I dream American. I wake up American. I have dinner as an American,” Mr. Espaillat said. “I am a Yankee fan and I love this country. It’s given me a great number of opportunities, including to be a member of Congress. For him to downgrade or even not take into consideration the kind of opportunities that this country gives these folks from all over the world, I think is sad and tragic.” | “I dream American. I wake up American. I have dinner as an American,” Mr. Espaillat said. “I am a Yankee fan and I love this country. It’s given me a great number of opportunities, including to be a member of Congress. For him to downgrade or even not take into consideration the kind of opportunities that this country gives these folks from all over the world, I think is sad and tragic.” |
| Far from making them less American, many foreign-born members of Congress said their experiences as children abroad made them far more appreciative of the freedom and opportunity in America than others who have spent little time in countries that lack such gifts. | Far from making them less American, many foreign-born members of Congress said their experiences as children abroad made them far more appreciative of the freedom and opportunity in America than others who have spent little time in countries that lack such gifts. |
| “I grew up in Latin America at a time when most of the countries were under military dictatorship and soldiers were on corners with machine guns,” said Representative Jim Himes, Democrat of Connecticut, who was born in Peru. “I think having spent the first 10 years of my life in environments like that has given me an unbelievable appreciation for the freedoms and liberties that we have here.” He said Mr. Trump “just shows a fundamental misunderstanding of the United States.” | “I grew up in Latin America at a time when most of the countries were under military dictatorship and soldiers were on corners with machine guns,” said Representative Jim Himes, Democrat of Connecticut, who was born in Peru. “I think having spent the first 10 years of my life in environments like that has given me an unbelievable appreciation for the freedoms and liberties that we have here.” He said Mr. Trump “just shows a fundamental misunderstanding of the United States.” |
| Some white lawmakers born abroad saw a distinctly racial tinge to Mr. Trump’s singling out of women of color. | Some white lawmakers born abroad saw a distinctly racial tinge to Mr. Trump’s singling out of women of color. |
| “My father got back from the Vietnam War, went to graduate school, and when he and my mom were young newlyweds, got a job outside of Dublin on a cattle feed lot,” said Representative Sean Casten, Democrat of Illinois. “They went over there, lived there for four years, I was born halfway through. No one ever called me an anchor baby.” | “My father got back from the Vietnam War, went to graduate school, and when he and my mom were young newlyweds, got a job outside of Dublin on a cattle feed lot,” said Representative Sean Casten, Democrat of Illinois. “They went over there, lived there for four years, I was born halfway through. No one ever called me an anchor baby.” |
| One of the 29, Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, was born in Canada to an American mother and Cuban father, and is thus considered a “natural born citizen” — a status Mr. Trump questioned during the 2016 Republican presidential primaries, when he suggested that Mr. Cruz “could be tied up in court for two years” if he became the party’s nominee. | One of the 29, Senator Ted Cruz, Republican of Texas, was born in Canada to an American mother and Cuban father, and is thus considered a “natural born citizen” — a status Mr. Trump questioned during the 2016 Republican presidential primaries, when he suggested that Mr. Cruz “could be tied up in court for two years” if he became the party’s nominee. |
| At the time, Mr. Cruz brushed it off, saying on Twitter that Mr. Trump had “jumped the shark.” On Monday, many of his Republican colleagues were searching for just the right words to describe what Mr. Trump had said; Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, the Senate’s only black Republican, settled on “racially offensive.” | At the time, Mr. Cruz brushed it off, saying on Twitter that Mr. Trump had “jumped the shark.” On Monday, many of his Republican colleagues were searching for just the right words to describe what Mr. Trump had said; Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, the Senate’s only black Republican, settled on “racially offensive.” |
| Mr. Cruz was not searching for words. He was zipping toward the senators-only elevator, head down, to avoid questions about it. “I have a longstanding policy that I don’t comment on tweets,” he said, moments before the elevator doors closed. | Mr. Cruz was not searching for words. He was zipping toward the senators-only elevator, head down, to avoid questions about it. “I have a longstanding policy that I don’t comment on tweets,” he said, moments before the elevator doors closed. |
| Mr. Cruz, of course, was not the first politician to have his citizenship questioned by Mr. Trump. Long before he ran for president, Mr. Trump stoked the so-called birther movement to pressure President Barack Obama to prove that he was actually born in the United States and not in Kenya, the birthplace of his father. | Mr. Cruz, of course, was not the first politician to have his citizenship questioned by Mr. Trump. Long before he ran for president, Mr. Trump stoked the so-called birther movement to pressure President Barack Obama to prove that he was actually born in the United States and not in Kenya, the birthplace of his father. |
| This time, Mr. Trump’s comments were directed at the group of Democratic freshmen known on Capitol Hill as “the Squad”: Representatives Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Ayanna S. Pressley of Massachusetts. All have been deeply critical of him. On Tuesday, he misleadingly suggested they have extremely low poll numbers — an apparent reference to a recent survey of white voters with two years or less of college education, a key component of the president’s base. | This time, Mr. Trump’s comments were directed at the group of Democratic freshmen known on Capitol Hill as “the Squad”: Representatives Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Ayanna S. Pressley of Massachusetts. All have been deeply critical of him. On Tuesday, he misleadingly suggested they have extremely low poll numbers — an apparent reference to a recent survey of white voters with two years or less of college education, a key component of the president’s base. |
| “Get a list of the HORRIBLE things they have said,” Mr. Trump shouted on Twitter. | “Get a list of the HORRIBLE things they have said,” Mr. Trump shouted on Twitter. |
| Only one of the four, Ms. Omar, was born overseas; she fled war-torn Somalia with her family and spent four years in a refugee camp in Kenya before coming to the United States with her family when she was 12. In an interview in December, she told of how she fended off bullies in school who stuck gum on her scarf, knocked her down stairs and jumped her when she changed clothes for gym class. | Only one of the four, Ms. Omar, was born overseas; she fled war-torn Somalia with her family and spent four years in a refugee camp in Kenya before coming to the United States with her family when she was 12. In an interview in December, she told of how she fended off bullies in school who stuck gum on her scarf, knocked her down stairs and jumped her when she changed clothes for gym class. |
| On Monday, Ms. Omar fought back. “He’s launching a blatantly racist attack on four duly elected members of the United States House of Representatives, all of whom are women of color,” she said. “This is the agenda of white nationalists, whether it is happening in chat rooms, or it is happening on national TV, and now it’s reached the White House garden.” | On Monday, Ms. Omar fought back. “He’s launching a blatantly racist attack on four duly elected members of the United States House of Representatives, all of whom are women of color,” she said. “This is the agenda of white nationalists, whether it is happening in chat rooms, or it is happening on national TV, and now it’s reached the White House garden.” |
| Mr. Meadows, one of the president’s closest allies on Capitol Hill, pushed back, saying the real fight was over the president’s policies on the border, which Ms. Omar and the others vociferously oppose. | Mr. Meadows, one of the president’s closest allies on Capitol Hill, pushed back, saying the real fight was over the president’s policies on the border, which Ms. Omar and the others vociferously oppose. |
| “He’s not racist,” Mr. Meadows said. “I probably talk to him more than anybody else, and he’s certainly not a racist.” | “He’s not racist,” Mr. Meadows said. “I probably talk to him more than anybody else, and he’s certainly not a racist.” |
| But to those lawmakers who have been bullied because of the color of their skin, like Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi, Democrat of Illinois, the president’s remarks were especially painful. | |
| Mr. Krishnamoorthi came to the United States when he was three months old. His father moved to Buffalo to study engineering, and his family lived in public housing and on food stamps before they moved to Peoria, Ill., to start, as Mr. Krishnamoorthi put it, “the golden period in our lives.” | |
| “People lifted you up and embraced you, and that’s America, that will always color my image of America,” he said, reflecting on his childhood. But he said racist heckles and taunts grew more prominent as he became an adult, during road rage situations in traffic and the like. | “People lifted you up and embraced you, and that’s America, that will always color my image of America,” he said, reflecting on his childhood. But he said racist heckles and taunts grew more prominent as he became an adult, during road rage situations in traffic and the like. |
| “I’m an ethnic, religious and a racial minority, and I’m an immigrant,” he said. “When the president says what he says, it hits home in a bigger way.” | “I’m an ethnic, religious and a racial minority, and I’m an immigrant,” he said. “When the president says what he says, it hits home in a bigger way.” |
| Other immigrant lawmakers — at least the Democrats — said Mr. Trump is assailing the very idea of what it means to be an American, among them Representative Raul Ruiz, a doctor and California Democrat who was born in Mexico and is the first Latino to earn three graduate degrees from Harvard University. | Other immigrant lawmakers — at least the Democrats — said Mr. Trump is assailing the very idea of what it means to be an American, among them Representative Raul Ruiz, a doctor and California Democrat who was born in Mexico and is the first Latino to earn three graduate degrees from Harvard University. |
| “Being American is not defined by color of skin or eyes or hair or any accent,” he said. “Being American is defined by our ideas, by our diversity and by the land that we call home.” | “Being American is not defined by color of skin or eyes or hair or any accent,” he said. “Being American is defined by our ideas, by our diversity and by the land that we call home.” |