The Latest: Flake says Trump off base on immigration claim
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump and immigration (all times local):
9:35 a.m.
A Republican senator says President Donald Trump is unfairly blaming a Democrat for an immigration initiative that Trump says let the man who carried out the deadly New York City attack enter the United States.
GOP Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona says New York Democrat Chuck Schumer was among a group of eight Republican and Democratic senators who proposed eliminating the diversity visa program three years ago as part of a broader bipartisan bill to overhaul U.S. immigration laws.
Flake, who served on the "Gang of Eight" with Schumer, says: "I know. I was there."
The immigration bill ultimately failed in the GOP-led House after passing the Senate in June 2013.
Flake recently announced he's not running for re-election but says he won't be silent about Trump's politics and behavior.
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8:25 a.m.
The Senate's top Democrat is hitting back after President Donald Trump faulted him for an immigration program that Trump says allowed the man in the deadly New York City bike path attack to enter the United States.
Chuck Schumer says in a statement that "I have always believed and continue to believe that immigration is good for America."
The New York lawmaker says Trump is "politicizing and dividing America, which he always seems to do at times of national tragedy." Schumer says the president should focus "on the real solution — anti-terrorism funding" — an area that Schumer says Trump has proposed cutting in his most recent budget.
Tuesday's attack killed eight people and injured at least 11.
Trump says on Twitter that the driver "came into our country through what is called the 'Diversity Visa Lottery Program,' a Chuck Schumer beauty."
Officials have said the driver — a native of Uzbekistan — came into the country legally in 2010.
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8:06 a.m.
President Donald Trump is calling for "Merit Based immigration" following the deadly truck attack in New York City that killed eight people and injured 11.
Trump says on Twitter Wednesday that the driver in Tuesday's attack "came into our country through what is called the 'Diversity Visa Lottery Program,' a Chuck Schumer beauty."
Officials said the attacker is an immigrant from Uzbekistan who came to the U.S. legally in 2010. They haven't said whether he came in through the Diversity Immigrant Visa Program, which covers immigrants from countries with low rates of immigration to the U.S.
Trump tweeted, "We are fighting hard for Merit Based immigration, no more Democrat Lottery Systems. We must get MUCH tougher (and smarter)."
