‘I hate it’’, says US President Trump on photo of Salvadoran migrants; blames Democrats for it

United States President Donald Trump on Wednesday, June 26 blamed Democrats for the deaths of a migrant father and his toddler daughter whose bodies are depicted in photographs that have become a symbol for the difficulties migrants face while trying to cross illegally into the US.

Talking to media persons, Donald Trump said he was disturbed by the photos. But he said the deaths could have been prevented and blamed the Democrats for failing to pass legislation that he stated would stop people from trying to make the dangerous trek, reported Associated Press.

“If we had the right laws, that the Democrats are not letting us have, those people, they wouldn’t be coming up. They wouldn’t be trying,” Trump said. “They can change it very easily so people don’t come up and people won’t get killed.”

Oscar Alberto Martinez Ramirez and daughter Valeria were trying to cross into the US after fleeing from El Salvador when they were swept into the Rio Grande.

Captured by journalist Julia Le Duc and first published by Mexican newspaper La Jornada, photos show their bodies lying face-down near the riverbank. Her arm was draped around Oscar’s neck, suggesting she clung to her father in their final moments.

The Senate and House have both approved of separate legislations meant to provide funding to migrants that make their way into the US, but the legislations have yet to be merged and the future is unclear.

The US-Mexico border is a perilous journey for migrants crossing it illegally, through ports between the entry. The journey extends from the searing hot Sonora desert to the fast flowing Rio Grande.

Earlier this week another case of migrant deaths was reported, after two toddlers and a woman were found dead due to the sweltering heat. In other cases, three children and an adult from Honduras also died after their raft sank on the Rio Grande in April. A 6-year old Indian was also found dead earlier this month in Arizona.