Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Donald Trump met with loud groans in Congress after launching plan to publish weekly list of crimes by immigrants

The speech was met with almost unanimous applause, and occasionally standing ovations

Andrew Griffin
Wednesday 01 March 2017 04:10 GMT
Comments
Audible groans as Trump announces agency solely to report immigrant crime

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Donald Trump was met with loud groans after he launched a plan to publish a weekly list of crimes by immigrants.

The President was met with almost unanimous applause during his first speech to Congress, and a number of standing ovations, even for his most controversial policies. But a new plan for an agency focused on crime by immigrants appeared to upset even his most ardent supporters among lawmakers.

During his speech, Mr Trump announced that he had launched a new agency that would compile list of all immigrants who had committed crimes – apparently whether or not they are in the country illegally.

"I have ordered the Department of Homeland Security to create an office to serve American Victims," he told Congress. "The office is called VOICE — Victims Of Immigration Crime Engagement. We are providing a voice to those who have been ignored by our media, and silenced by special interests."

But after he made the announcement, he was met with relative silence. The only audible noise was what appeared to be groans of criticism from lawmakers.

That was despite applause and standing ovations for policies including the border wall, Mr Trump's failed attempt to ban Muslim people from a selection of countries from entering the US and other controversial policies.

The plan for a weekly list of immigrant crime has been likened to one of the most controversial sections, "Black Crime", on the Breitbart News website. Steve Bannon, who until recently edited that site, is now Mr Trump's closest advisor in the White House.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in