George Soros unveils his Hate Incident Database in hopes of restoring the America that first attracted him

William A. | 7:54 PM on March 16, 2017

George Soros on Thursday evening argued that President Trump’s policies on immigration have created a spike in hate crimes.

The president’s approach to immigrants does nothing to make America safer and has created a surge in hate crimes. https://t.co/3X9QwzB1QK

— George Soros (@georgesoros) March 16, 2017

Soros linked to his piece in the New York Times in which he unveiled his Hate Incident Database to track hate crimes:

George Soros: Why I am creating a database to track hate crimes. https://t.co/1kVe3TdJkE pic.twitter.com/cDswc03LON

— New York Times Opinion (@nytopinion) March 16, 2017

Soros explained:

Mr. Trump’s latest proposed travel ban … does nothing to make America safer, while whipping up emotions against immigrants that have translated into an alarming surge in hate incidents all across our nation. My heart goes out to the victims of violence, whatever the source. But in the name of protecting the population from a relatively minor source of concern, he is branding all immigrants as criminals.

Having survived the Nazi persecution of Jews in Hungary, I escaped from Soviet occupation at age 17 and made my way first to Britain and then to America. This is not the America that attracted me. I have seen the damage done when societies succumb to the fear of the “other.” And I will do all I can to help preserve the openness, inclusiveness and diversity that represent our greatest strength.