White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly on Tuesday suggested that some young immigrants eligible for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program failed to apply for the legal protections because they were too afraid — or “too lazy to get off their asses.”

Kelly’s portrayal of young immigrants as “lazy” infuriated advocates, Democratic lawmakers and “dreamers” themselves. Critics called the statement “ignorant,” “discriminatory” and “cruel.” There are many barriers to applying to DACA, advocates say, including fear, cost and misinformation. But laziness?

Kelly’s comment “suggests that he doesn’t fully appreciate the complexities of navigating life as an undocumented young person,” Tom K. Wong, an assistant professor of political science at the University of California at San Diego, told The Washington Post. Lazy, Wong said, “simply misses the mark.”