Trump compares undocumented migrants to Hell’s Angels; what the US Justice department has said about the biker group

US President Donald Trump strayed from his prepared remarks during a White House press briefing Tuesday, reviving an old controversy as he compared immigrants entering the country illegally to the Hell’s Angels motorcycle club, an organization long described by the US Department of Justice as a ‘criminal enterprise.’

Speaking to reporters during a White House press briefing on Tuesday, January 20 which opened with praise for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) over what he described as successful arrests of undocumented immigrants, Trump, 79, went on to draw a comparison between undocumented immigrants and the notorious biker group.

“People that came in illegally … many cases, they're criminals, in many, many cases. Remember when they used to say that the people that come into our country as immigrants are very nice people, they're wonderful people, they don't commit crime? No,” Trump said. “They make our criminals look like babies.”


“They make our Hell’s Angels look like the sweetest people on Earth,” the president added. Trump then went on to explain that he likes the Hells Angels because they voted for him. “They protected me, actually, believe it or not,” he said.


Also Read: Who are Hells Angels and why is Donald Trump calling them sweet? Hells Angels Motorcycle Club and White House press briefing explained

What are Hell’s Angels?

Hell’s Angels is a motorcycle club. According to a 2009 report published by the US Department of Justice, it is a criminal enterprise involved in multiple illegal activities. The Justice Department study, authored by Albert De Amicis, concluded that despite claims by longtime leader Ralph “Sonny” Barger that the group consists of “fun-loving guys who just ride motorcycles,” research data showed extensive involvement in organized crime.

The report said Hell’s Angels members have been linked to murder, the manufacturing and distribution of methamphetamine, the trafficking of cocaine, heroin, and marijuana, and the illegal purchase and sale of firearms, among other criminal activities.

Much of the data cited by the Justice Department came from prolonged undercover operations conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). One operation followed a violent clash between Hell’s Angels and the Mongols outlaw motorcycle gang at a Nevada casino in 2002. Another undercover probe, known as Operation Black Biscuit, infiltrated the Hell’s Angels chapter in Phoenix, Arizona, which was led by Barger, who served as the club’s president for more than four decades.