Hispanic lawmaker, combat veteran responds to Brokaw: ‘I assimilated pretty well’

Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), a Hispanic lawmaker and Iraq War veteran, responded to Tom Brokaw of NBC News after the broadcast journalist said Hispanics should “work harder at assimilation.”

“I assimilated pretty well,” Gallego tweeted at Brokaw, sharing a photo of him and three fellow Marines in uniform.

.@tombrokaw I assimilated pretty well. pic.twitter.com/8nDmzDxR7E

— Ruben Gallego (@RubenGallego) January 27, 2019

A number of other Hispanic veterans then shared photos of themselves in response to Gallego’s tweet.

Brokaw made the comment Sunday during a conversation on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”{mosads}

“I also happen to believe that the Hispanics should work harder at assimilation. That’s one of the things I’ve been saying for a long time,” Brokaw said. 

“You know, they ought not to be just codified in their communities but make sure that all their kids are learning to speak English, and that they feel comfortable in the communities,” Brokaw added. “And that’s going to take outreach on both sides, frankly.”

He later apologized in a series of tweets, saying he feels “terrible” and is “truly sorry [his] comments were offensive to many.”

“From my days reporting on [Cesar Chavez] to documenting the many contributions of Hispanics in all parts of our culture … I’ve worked hard to knock down false stereo types,” he wrote. “In my final comment in [Meet the Press] i said ALL sides hv to work harder.”