Critics slam Trump for 'politicizing' the death of Colts linebacker Edwin Jackson

President Trump cited the death of Indianapolis Colts linebacker Edwin Jackson on Tuesday morning while calling for tougher immigration laws and border security. "So disgraceful that a person illegally in our country killed @Colts linebacker Edwin Jackson," Trump tweeted. "This is just one of many such preventable tragedies."

A drunk driver killed Jackson, 26, and his Uber driver early Sunday morning. Police say the suspect, Manuel Orrego-Savala, is a Guatemalan citizen who has been deported twice before, and had a prior conviction for driving under the influence, CNN reports. Orrego-Savala, 37, allegedly had a blood-alcohol level that was nearly three times the legal limit when he hit Jackson.

Many critics responded to Trump's tweet expressing anger that the president chose to "politicize" the driver's immigration status rather than focus on the drunk driving epidemic:

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Trump's tweet notably comes ahead of his memorandum Tuesday to establish a "National Vetting Center," which would vet anyone looking to enter the United States. Jackson's roommate, Chad Bouchez, has fiercely responded to attempts to use Jackson's death as a call for "stopping illegal immigration," though, as Rep. Todd Rokita (R-Ind.) did in a statement Monday.

"He would not want that," Bouchez told CBS News. "I don't think Edwin would have judged anyone on where they were from or anything else."