WASHINGTON _ Utah Rep. Mia Love met with President Donald Trump on Tuesday, but she said she didn't ask him to apologize for his comments last week denigrating Haiti and calling some African nations "shithole countries."
Love, a Republican who is the only Haitian-American elected to Congress, previously said that Trump's alleged comments were "unkind, divisive, elitist, and (flew) in the face of our nation's values."
But Love told the Salt Lake Tribune on Tuesday that she did not bring up her remarks or ask the president to apologize.
"The statement that I made was very clear," she said.
Rather, Love said she urged the president during her meeting, which lasted for 30 minutes, to find a solution for undocumented immigrants under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
"We need to fight against those who have a vested interest in keeping immigration a wedge issue," Love said in a statement. "This has gone unaddressed for far too long."
Love said she believes Trump met with her because of her condemnation of his remarks, which he denies making.
"So many people are just sitting here in limbo trying to figure out what's going to happen. In these conversations we need to ... remember who we're talking about," she said.
Similarly, Love said any group discussing immigration should be diverse.
"It was important to have a group of diverse members on both sides of the aisle to talk about these things," she said.
Love is facing a competitive re-election fight against Democratic Salt Lake City Mayor Ben McAdams.
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