Donald Trump says there are 'a lot of bad genes' among migrants in the United States

(Patria) - Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said on Monday that there are "a lot of bad genes" in the United States, while discussing murders allegedly committed by immigrants living illegally in the United States, Reuters reported.

"What do you say about letting people come into an open border, of whom 13,000 were murderers?" Trump said in an interview with conservative commentator Hugh Hewitt, while discussing the immigration policy of his election opponent on November 5, Vice President Kamala Harris.

"Many of them have killed more than one person, and now they are living happily in the United States. You know, now a murderer, I believe it, it's in their genes. And we have a lot of bad genes in our country right now."

Trump has often attacked migrants on the campaign trail, especially those involved in crimes. He has sometimes used dehumanizing language and increasingly resorts to extremely graphic depictions of crimes, even though a number of studies show that immigrants do not commit crimes at a higher rate than U.S. citizens.

Trump appeared to be referring to a letter from Immigration and Customs Enforcement to Republican Representative Tony Gonzales, released last month, which shows that 13,099 people convicted of murder are on ICE's "non-detained" list. This list includes various types of immigrants who have entered the country legally and illegally.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson called the statistics misleading.

"The data in this letter is being misinterpreted," he wrote in an email. "The data goes back decades, includes individuals who entered the country over the past forty or more years, and the vast majority were ordered removed long before this administration. It also includes many who are under the jurisdiction of or are currently in the custody of federal, state, or local law enforcement partners."

Trump's campaign team defended his comments in a statement, saying he was only referring to murderers, not migrants.

"President Trump was clearly referring to murderers, not migrants," said campaign secretary Karoline Leavitt.

"It is quite disgusting that the media always defends murderers, rapists, and illegal criminals so quickly if it means writing a bad headline about President Trump."

The White House condemned Trump's statements. "That kind of language is hateful, it is disgusting, it is inappropriate, and it has no place in our country," said White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre.