Trump Claims Immigrants Are Introducing “Bad Genes” into the U.S

Former President Donald Trump sparked controversy again on Monday by claiming that illegal immigrants are bringing “bad genes” into the United States.

These comments, made during a radio interview with conservative host Hugh Hewitt, continue Trump’s pattern of rhetoric around immigration, which has frequently been criticized for demonizing migrants.

Trump made these remarks while attacking Vice President Kamala Harris, his Democratic rival in the upcoming presidential election, and referenced government figures indicating that 13,000 immigrants with homicide convictions were not being detained by federal immigration authorities.

“How about allowing people to come to an open border, 13,000 of which were murderers, many of them murdered far more than one person? They are now happily living in the United States,” Trump said.

He went on to state, “A murderer — I believe this — it’s in their genes. We’ve got a lot of bad genes in our country right now.”

The figures Trump cited seem to misrepresent data released by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in September.

The statistics do not account for individuals held in non-ICE facilities, such as state or local prisons, and cover several decades, including years when Trump was president himself.

Critics were quick to condemn Trump’s remarks.

Conservative commentator Richard Hanania, while disputing the 13,000 murderer figure, supported Trump’s broader argument regarding crime and genetics, though he urged Trump to acknowledge the low crime rates among immigrants.

“I don’t normally defend Trump’s statements, and even here he drops the 13,000 released murderers lie,” said Hanania, president of the Center for the Study of Partisanship and Ideology.

“But he’s right that crime is largely genetic. He should just learn about the low crime rate among immigrants and think about the implications.”

The remarks come as Trump and Harris are engaged in a tight race ahead of the November election. Trump’s campaign has emphasized immigration, with the 78-year-old frequently depicting undocumented migrants—and even some legal immigrants—as a threat to public safety.

In a rally last month, Trump called for Vice President Harris to be prosecuted over President Joe Biden’s border policies, branding immigrants as “animals” intent on “rape, pillage, thieve, plunder and kill.”

He also falsely accused Haitian residents in Ohio of eating local pets and threatened them with deportation.

This is not the first time Trump has made incendiary statements about immigrants. In December, he was widely condemned after accusing immigrants of “poisoning the blood of our country,” drawing parallels to the rhetoric of Adolf Hitler.

Despite his inflammatory comments, Trump remains competitive in the polls, with the election shaping up to be one of the most contentious in recent history.