Vocal immigration reform advocate Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D-Ill.) is calling on Latinos to reject GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump because of his campaign rhetoric attacking them.
“What can Americans do when the tail that is wagging the dog of the Republican Party is saying that most Mexicans are murderers and rapists?” Gutiérrez asked on the House floor Thursday.
“I have been thinking a lot about that recently as the Republican presidential field of candidates have fallen in line with a bully who spews racism and is leading among his party’s primary voters,” he said of Trump. “The way to respond to racism is to vote.”
{mosads}“We have all learned what the Republican Party seems to be forgetting — that appeals to a narrow Republican electorate with over-the-top racism and below-the-belt immigrant-bashing will not get you the White House,” the Illinois lawmaker added.
Gutiérrez also argued on Thursday that immigrants offended by Trump’s public remarks could become citizens and then vote against the billionaire next year.
“That’s right, apply for citizenship and you can vote for whoever you want to vote for, and you could even vote against the guy who called your whole ethnic group rapists, murderers and drug-dealers,” he said.
Trump has weathered international outrage for his harsh criticism of illegal immigrants and Mexico upon launching his 2016 campaign in June.
“They’re sending people who have a lot of problems,” he said during his announcement speech on June 16 at New York City’s Trump Tower. “They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.”
Trump’s controversial language on immigration has not hurt his standing across multiple nation polls. He ranks first out of 16 major GOP candidates in the race, with 30.5 percent, according to the latest RealClearPolitics average.