Trump Blames Immigration Lottery, Calls US Justice 'A Joke' After NYC Attack

The terror attack in New York on Tuesday afternoon quickly became a political issue after President Donald Trump blamed a visa program that he said allowed the suspect, Sayfullo Saipov, into the country and called the U.S. justice system "a joke" for moving too slowly.

Trump said he wants to work with Congress to abolish the immigration lottery under which Saipov entered the United States.

Those remarks drew criticism from Democrats, who said the president was rushing to politicize a tragedy at a time when law enforcement is trying to determine the facts of what happened.

On Wednesday, Trump, in a Twitter remark, blamed Senate Democratic leader Charles Schumer of New York for allowing "the terrorist" into the U.S., as part of "what is called the 'Diversity Visa Lottery Program,' a Chuck Schumer beauty. I want merit based."

Schumer accused Trump of "politicizing and dividing America, which he always seems to do at times of national tragedy." Schumer said he has "always believed and continue to believe that immigration is good for America."

The immigration lottery was part of 1990 U.S. legislation that Schumer, then a member of the House of Representatives, sponsored along with 25 other Democrats and six Republicans.

On Tuesday night, within hours of the attack, Trump ordered the country's Homeland Security agency "to step up our already Extreme Vetting Program" about immigration into the U.S. "Being politically correct is fine, but not for this!"

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo called the president's tweets "unhelpful."

"I don't think they were factual. I think they tended to point fingers and politicize the situation. He was referring back to an immigration policy that dealt with a lottery and blaming people who passed that immigration policy. His tweet wasn't even accurate, as far as I'm concerned. That was a bipartisan law that was passed that had basically no relevance to the facts of this situation."

In remarks Wednesday at the White House, the president also seemed to blame the U.S. justice system for attacks like the one in New York on Tuesday.

"We need quick justice and we need strong justice — much quicker and much stronger than we have right now. Because what we have right now is a joke and it's a laughingstock. And no wonder so much of this stuff takes place."

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