Hispanic lawmakers urge NBC to disinvite Trump from ‘SNL’

Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus want NBC to cancel plans for Donald Trump to host “Saturday Night Live” this week.

In a Monday statement, the 26-member caucus urged NBC not to give the GOP presidential candidate free airtime after he made controversial remarks about Mexicans, “because racism is not funny.”

Trump is slated to host the Nov. 7 episode of “Saturday Night Live.” The Hispanic lawmakers noted that NBCUniversal previously cut ties with Trump earlier this year, as did businesses like Macy’s and Spanish celebrity chef José Andrés, after the real estate mogul suggested that Mexicans immigrating to the U.S. were “rapists” and “bring in crime.”

{mosads}“Mr. Trump’s racist remarks and his continued rhetoric demonizing Latinos and immigrants has created fear within these communities around the country, many of which are represented in Congress by Members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus,” the statement reads.

“[T]he Congressional Hispanic Caucus urges NBCUniversal to stand by its earlier commitment to end its relationship with Mr. Trump because the values of ‘respect and dignity for all people’ are more important than ratings and ad revenues,” lawmakers said in the statement.

It’s not the first time the Hispanic Caucus has directed its ire at Trump. In June, the Hispanic Caucus called on Trump to apologize for his incendiary comments about Mexicans during his speech announcing his campaign rollout.

Earlier this month, Hispanic Caucus member Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D-Ill.) took to the House floor to suggest “Saturday Night Live” has a diversity problem.

“If Donald Trump had said gays and lesbians were murderers and raping Americans, would he get to host the show? It is every bit as much a fiction and a lie,” Gutiérrez said.

“Donald Trump has said some pretty awful things about women individually and collectively. But what if he said most women were criminals? Would the writers be thinking up sketches for Trump if he had slandered an entire gender rather than an entire ethnic group?”

“Saturday Night Live” has so far given no indication that it will cancel plans for Trump to host this Saturday’s episode. Trump’s host duties will come a month after Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton appeared on the show.

Trump, meanwhile, has dismissed the outcry from Hispanic groups ahead of his appearance.

“I think they’ll only drive the ratings up higher,” Trump said last month.