Kentucky's Democratic governor refers to Trump's anti-immigrant language as dangerous, dehumanizing

Republican Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant language in his quest to win back the White House is dangerous and dehumanizing, Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear said Tuesday, warning that the rhetoric makes it more difficult for Congress to reach a meaningful U.S. border security deal.

Beshear — whose resounding reelection last month in solidly Republican Kentucky raised his national profile — said a balanced approach is needed on immigration: one that protects the nation’s borders but recognizes the role legal immigration plays in meeting business employment needs.

The governor has largely refrained from openly criticizing Trump, who remains popular in Kentucky, during his tenure and has repeatedly declared “a strong national security requires strong border security.” Beshear also authorized the deployment of Kentucky National Guard soldiers to the nation’s southern border during his first term.

But in an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday, Beshear pointedly criticized Trump’s recent anti-immigrant remarks, in which the former president and current GOP presidential front-runner for 2024 talked about “blood” purity, echoing Nazi slogans of World War II.