IMMIGRATION/SANCTUARY CITIES/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump on Thursday [5-17-18] said he was referring to MS-13 gang members when he called some undocumented immigrants ‘animals’ a day earlier, after his remarks prompted a partisan spat online…The dust-up began Wednesday [5-16-18] when, during a roundtable on so-called sanctuary cities, Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims brought up the gang while expressing concern about a California law that forbids local authorities informing U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement of undocumented immigrants in the state’s jails. Trump has often talked about cracking down on the gang, which originated in Los Angeles…The comment comes about two months after the president reportedly complained about immigrants coming from ‘shithole countries’ during a discussion with lawmakers about a bipartisan immigration deal, which never came to fruition. The comment was directed toward immigrants from Haiti, El Salvador and African countries. The president referred to Mexicans as ‘rapists,’ ‘killers’ and ‘murderers’ during the 2016 presidential campaign cycle.”
-Rebecca Morin, “Trump: ‘Animals’ comment referred to MS-13 gang members,” Politico, May 17, 2018 3:37 pm