LULAC Regional Vice Presidents Decry Trump Nomination
July 22, 2016
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In response to Trump’s acceptance speech at last night’s Republican National Convention, LULAC regional vice presidents issued the following statements:
Juan Lopez, National Vice President for the Northeast
“Trump’s acceptance speech last night cemented in the minds of the American people that he is nothing short of an evil clown with a knack for telling horror stories. Trump’s acceptance speech did not enumerate a plan of how to fix our broken immigration system but rather, it was a hate-filled speech by an egomaniac. Trump’s claim that he is the authority of how our system works and therefore the only one suited for fixing the corruption misses the point. Trump is part of the corruption and the potential ramifications from a Trump presidency will be impossible to overcome.”
Lydia Medrano, Ph.D., National Vice President for the Southeast
“Trump’s speech last night was much more than an acceptance of the Republican presidential nomination. Rather, it was a speech with hateful themes that included a litany of bigoted remarks against Latinos and the undocumented community. Trump’s speech was void of a thought-out plan of how to help the millions of hardworking immigrants who are essential to our economy and include farmworkers and those in the service industries. His speech made clear that a Trump presidency will result in a damaged society which will take future generations to fix his mistakes and ‘make America great again.’
Gabriel Youtequia Rosales, National Vice President for the Southwest
“Last night Trump continued the rhetoric of fear. His notion of law and order is discriminating against different cultures, religions and ethnicities – which is unacceptable. It was also clear that he will continue his attacks on the Latino community with a mass deportation policy that separates millions more of our families. In addition, he laid out an irresponsible position on the 2nd Amendment that failed to address the accessibility of semi-automatic assault rifles, the lack of funding for mental health, and insufficient background checks. Trump’s speech was empty of real solutions and was only successful at further dividing our country.”
Joe Henry, National Vice President for the Midwest
"In last night’s acceptance speech, Trump used racism to further promote himself, his agenda and connect with his base. Latinos saw through his futile attempts to sympathize with the community as short-sighted and out of touch. However, the most concerning point of the speech was the dehumanization of the Latino and immigrant communities. Latinos will not allow a candidate to use hate-mongering as a platform and, come this November, we will show our disgust and vote against a Trump presidency.”
David Villa Hernandez, National Vice President for the Farwest
“Trump’s speech was yet another attempt to outline his ill-fated vision for America. His worn-out talking points continue to ignore the realities facing our most vulnerable communities, and his repeated calls for building a wall and mass deportations as solutions to the nation’s problems demonstrate a lack of understanding of the complex issues that America faces. We need a leader with viable policies that respect immigrant families and provide Americans with pathways to prosperity, and Donald Trump has proven once again that he is not that leader."