By SANCHESKA DORSETT

Tribune Staff Reporter

sdorsett@tribunemedia.net

THE Caribbean Community (CARICOM) said it was “deeply disturbed” by the reported use of “derogatory and repulsive language” by US President Donald Trump relating to Haiti, El Salvador and countries in Africa.

In a statement, CARICOM condemned “in the strongest terms”, the unenlightened views reportedly expressed by President Trump.

The regional body said it was also “deeply saddened” that the alleged comments emerged around the anniversary of the devastating 2010 Haiti earthquake “which took the lives of so many.”

“Of additional concern, is this pattern of denigrating Haiti and its citizens in what seems to be a concerted attempt to perpetuate a negative narrative of the country. We are especially saddened that such narrative emerged around the time of the anniversary of the devastating 2010 earthquake which took so many lives of citizens in that country,” the statement released on the weekend noted.

“The Caribbean Community expresses its full support for the dignified statement of the government of the Republic of Haiti in reaction to this highly offensive reference. It should be recalled that Haiti is the second democracy in the Western Hemisphere after the United States and that Haitians continue to contribute significantly in many spheres to the global community and particularly to the United States of America. CARICOM therefore views this insult to the character of the countries named and their citizens as totally unacceptable.”

When contacted for comment yesterday, Foreign Affairs Minister Darren Henfield said the Bahamas is a part of CARICOM and “we speak with one voice”.

He declined further comment on the US president’s reported remarks.

Other international organisations including the UN and the African Union, politicians and people from African countries and the Caribbean are outraged over President Trump’s latest remarks, deemed “racist” by some.

The Washington Post first reported President Trump criticised immigration to the United States from El Salvador, Haiti and Africa calling the group “s*hole countries.”

This was later corroborated by other US media outlets and one Democratic lawmaker who was in the White House meeting at the time.

According to CNN, citing people with knowledge of the conversation, Mr Trump allegedly asked: “Why are we having all these people from s*hole countries come here?” at a meeting with Congress members at the White House.

He also suggested the US should instead focus its immigrant entry policy on countries such as Norway.

On Friday Mr Trump denied the “racist” remarks, tweeting that the language he used “was tough, but this was not the language used,” as he called for a “merit-based system of immigration and people who take our country to the next level.”

He later tweeted that he has “never said anything derogatory about Haitians other than Haiti is, obviously a very poor and troubled country.”

However, according to international reports, Dick Durbin, a Democratic senator who attended the meeting, disputed Mr Trump’s statement.

“He said these hate-filled things and he said them repeatedly,” Mr Durbin told US reporters.

The White House did not directly challenge the authenticity of Mr Trump’s comments, but issued a statement saying: “Certain Washington politicians choose to fight for foreign countries, but President Trump will always fight for the American people.”

The US president has consistently faced criticism over racially insensitive comments made during the campaign trial and since taking office. Before he was elected, he infamously said Mexican immigrants coming to the US were rapists and criminals.

Last year he was criticised after he failed to explicitly condemn the role of white supremacists in clashes with counter-protesters in Charlottesville, Virginia, that ended in a car running into a crowd, killing a woman. At the time, Mr Trump said there was “blame on both sides.”

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