Rep. Tom Suozzi said Tuesday he doesn’t always agree with the “the squad,” but said he wants to be an honorary member to send a clear message that he disagrees with President Trump’s “un-American racist type of behavior.”

The New York Democrat said Mr. Trump is purposely trying to move the national conversation away from key policy debates — including the mess at the U.S.-Mexico border that his administration helped create.

“He completely shifts the focus away from important policy issues to this racial divide in our country,” Mr. Suozzi said on MSNBC.

“I don’t agree with all the politics of the squad … but today I want to be an honorary member of the squad because I want to fight against this un-American, racist, type of behavior,” he said. “This is not what our country wants.”

Democrats have rallied behind Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ayanna S. Pressley of Massachusetts since Mr. Trump said they should go back to their countries.

Ms. Omar, a Somali refugee, is the only one of the four women not born in the United States. She is a naturalized U.S. citizen.

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