Trump’s Hateful Rhetoric Inspires Criminal Assault Against Homeless Latino; Trump Refuses to Condemn the Hate Crime He Inspired

August 21, 2015

Washington, D.C. – A Latino homeless man in Boston, Massachusetts was brutally beaten simply because he is Latino. The victim, who suffered a broken nose and bruises on his head and torso, was also urinated on. According to police reports, the perpetrators were “inspired in part” by Donald Trump’s hateful anti-immigrant rhetoric.

“Donald Trump’s hateful anti-immigrant rhetoric has resulted in the senseless beating of a homeless man solely because he is Latino,” said LULAC National President Roger C. Rocha, Jr. “This recent act demonstrates Trump’s complete disregard for the safety and well-being of the Latino community and underlines that he is not fit to serve in any elected office let alone as President of the United States. It is obvious that Trump’s vision of making America great does not include Latinos.”

When Trump was provided an opportunity to condemn the crime, he instead redoubled his stance against the Latino community. Trump responded by condoning the actions, citing his followers as “passionate.”

Recently, hate crimes against Latinos have risen. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, anti-Latino crimes rose by 35 percent between 2003 and 2006. In addition, a 2013 FBI Hate Crime Statistics report found that 52.6 percent of 821 Latino victims were targeted because of anti-Hispanic or anti-Latino bias.

The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the nation’s largest and oldest civil rights volunteer-based organization that empowers Hispanic Americans and builds strong Latino communities. Headquartered in Washington, DC, with 1,000 councils around the United States and Puerto Rico, LULAC’s programs, services and advocacy address the most important issues for Latinos, meeting critical needs of today and the future. For more information, visit www.LULAC.org, www.LULAC.org/facebook, and www.LULAC.org/twitter.