Watch | Bill Clinton On The Importance Of Immigration

With America’s immigration policy being one of the main topics in American politics these days, former President Bill Clinton spoke on the matter during his visit to St. Croix on Sunday.

Speaking during his tour of Lutheran Services’ Queen Louise Home for Children, the former president, using one of the nonprofit’s executives as reference, shared what he said was one of his favorite immigrant stories.

“This lady was born in Kenya and she married a man who was in the Peace Corps, and then went to Idaho, you know, that famous blue…. And then she wound up down here. That’s what makes a successful society: when people go where they choose, where their dreams are, and they treat people like people and are treated the same way.”

President Donald Trump, frustrated with the flow of asylum-seeking Central American families at the southern U.S. border, said last week that the U.S. would impose escalating tariffs on all Mexican imports starting on Monday unless Mexico took sufficient steps to stop migration, according to the Wall Street Journal. U.S. and Mexican negotiators are meeting this week in Washington to try to fashion a deal and head off a trade fight between close trading partners.

Meanwhile, Republicans have sent a stern warning to Mr. Trump, stating that they would seek to block the White House’s planned tariffs on Mexico.

“There is not much support in my conference for tariffs,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) said. He declined to address whether the Senate could hold a vote to oppose the Republican president, according to WSJ.

Mr. Trump responded to his Republican counterparts sternly as well: “I don’t think they will do that—if they do, it’s foolish,” Mr. Trump said Tuesday at a news conference in London alongside U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May, when asked what he thought of potential Republican efforts to block his Mexico tariffs.

Mr. Clinton and Mrs. Clinton convened on Monday the fourth meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Action Network on Post-Disaster Recovery on St. Thomas. The meeting, in partnership with Bloomberg LP and Love City Strong, continues the discussion around hurricane recovery in the greater Caribbean region, and address topics such as infrastructure, agriculture, workforce development, clean and renewable energy, health, and Caribbean arts and culture.

The approach of the Action Network brings together a diverse group of stakeholders to focus efforts on putting people first, including prioritizing a resilient future by helping communities to plan and prepare for future storms and the mounting effects of climate change. At the meeting, new Commitments to Action will be announced, adding to more than 57 commitments made to date, according to the release. 

Mr. and Mrs. Clinton have visited sites to see the impact of these commitments and encourage continued engagement.

The meeting of the Action Network also follows a Clinton Foundation Day of Action led by Chelsea Clinton at the Afya Foundation warehouse in Yonkers, NY, where Clinton Foundation staff and volunteers sorted, cataloged, and packed medical supplies collected by the Afya Foundation at the request of the U.S. Virgin Islands, the release said.

The Action Network, along with Clinton Global Initiative University, follows the success of CGI and its commitment to action model. Over the years, CGI and its partners have brought together leaders from across sectors to develop commitments to action that, when fully funded and implemented, will improve the lives of more than 430 million people in 180 countries worldwide.