During an immigration roundtable at the White House about California’s role as a sanctuary state, Donald Trump said undocumented immigrants are “animals.”

His exact words? “We’re taking people out of the country, you wouldn’t believe how bad these people are. These aren’t people. These are animals.”

Calling people of color “animals” has a deep, racist history. It’s a white supremacist tactic meant to portray marginalized people as subhuman—therefore making it easier for oppressors to inflict violence upon them.

Undocumented immigrants are human beings—and no human being is illegal.

Considering Trump’s violent crusade against immigrants, it’s clear to see his intent here. He not only wants us to know he’ll try to remove undocumented people from the United States by any means necessary—he wants us to support those efforts.

These comments are deplorable and unforgivable, and politicians need to condemn them immediately. Republicans must no longer stay silent. Either they’re with him—and support Trump’s campaign to portray immigrants as subhuman—or they reject this.

Sign now to tell Republican politicians to publicly condemn Trump’s comments calling undocumented immigrants “animals."