LULAC responds to Trump's speech
July 22, 2016
Uniting in the Face of Hate, LULAC Responds to Trump Nomination WASHINGTON, D.C. –Last night, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump delivered his acceptance speech to the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio. In response, LULAC National President Roger C Rocha, Jr. and LULAC National Executive Director Brent Wilkes issued the following statements:
"Donald Trump's acceptance speech sets out a vision that will not ‘make our country great again’ but rather rejects the values we hold dear,” said LULAC National President Roger C Rocha, Jr. “Trump justifies his hate and condemnation against the Latino community as political correctness. He fancies himself as the ‘law and order’ president whose plan for immigration reform includes mass deportation and building a wall. Facts and the truth are irrelevant to Trump's uninformed policies. Studies have continually shown that immigration increases wages and reduces labor shortages in low and high-skilled markets. In fact, if anyone has taken advantage of the system, it has been Trump. His multiple bankruptcy filings have been used to cancel contracts and avoid paying average Americans for work performed at Trump facilities. If elected president, Trump's divisive policies will bankrupt our country both morally and economically, and the damage will be felt for generations to come."
"Donald Trump's fanatical acceptance speech advocates for a divisive American police-state terrorizing its most vulnerable residents with additional pain and suffering simply because they are of a different race or ethnic heritage than the majority population,” stated LULAC National Executive Director Brent Wilkes. “Long on impossible promises and short on achievable specifics, Donald Trump’s speech has brought an end to the party of Lincoln and replaced it with his twisted brand of authoritarianism.”
LULAC Regional Vice Presidents Decry Trump Nomination
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."
The Mission of the League of United Latin American Citizens is to advance the economic condition, educational attainment, political influence, housing, health and civil rights of the Hispanic population of the United States.
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), founded in 1929, is the oldest and most widely respected Hispanic civil rights organization in the United States of America. LULAC was created at a time in our country’s history when Hispanics were denied basic civil and human rights, despite contributions to American society. The founders of LULAC created an organization that empowers its members to create and develop opportunities where they are needed most.