I was incensed to see President Trump refer to our Somali-Americans, and the country they come from, as “garbage.” He uses language in a demeaning and hateful way. It is shameful to have the president of our country use infantile speech in such a hateful and disgusting way.

When I served as mayor of Lewiston, I worked closely with our Somali refugee and secondary migrant population. I was asked to write letters of recommendation for some of our Somali-descended population to enter medical school, and today they are serving as doctors. A voluminous book could be written on how our refugee population has added to the fabric of America.

Recently, I attended Mass at the Basilica of Saints Peter & Paul, which was filled with families that have come to us from Africa. It was wonderful to see these families, and I had the opportunity to speak with some in my first language, French.

Yes, I am the proud son of French-Canadian immigrants. We are a country of immigrants. The Statue of Liberty welcomes us all. The president needs to visit Lady Liberty and read the inscription with the words as written by Emma Lazarus (1849-1887), “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”

There is little wonder Trump is sinking in the polls.

Laurent Gilbert Sr.
Lewiston