Latino Advocacy Group La Raza Says No to Trump, Clinton Invites For National Convention
Thanks to Donald Trump's racially-charged rhetoric, he and Hillary Clinton are being shunned from next month's gathering of prominent Latino leaders in Orlando.
National Council of La Raza President Janet Murguía announced Wednesday that neither presumptive presidential nominee was extended an invitation to July's NCLR Annual Conference. The country's largest Hispanic civil rights group routinely welcomes candidates from both political parties, but Trump's "indiscriminate vilification of an entire community and numerous other communities" made it difficult for NCLR leadership to
"Mr. Trump has - without relent and without apology - engaged in a concerted effort to denigrate and demonize not just immigrants, but the entire 5 million-plus Latinos in this country," Murguía said in a press release. "Simply put, Mr. Trump has not earned the privilege of our platform."
The NCLR did not invite Clinton out of fairness, and because they believe the electoral process "is best served when both parties are competing for the Latino vote."
Trump's Immigration Policy
Trump began his campaign by labeling all Mexicans as rapists and criminals. Instead of backing down, the real estate magnate doubled-down on his anti-immigration policy, vowing to deport some 11 million undocumented Latinos and fortify the U.S.-Mexico border wall at the Mexican government's expense.
His wavering immigration reform plan stands on three core principles: a nation without borders is not a nation; a nation without laws is not a nation; and a nation that does not serve its own citizens is not a nation.
In Trump's view, defending these ideals means ending birthright citizenship and turning away Mexicans and Muslims seeking asylum. While his Muslim ban has softened, it still denies refugees from countries with terrorist ties.
"Such rhetoric undermines who we are as a country and the example we set for the rest of the world," Murguía said at the NCLR Capital Awards in March. "To our community, we must not stand idly by while others define us. We must define ourselves. We will not be demonized. We ill not be a punching bag. And we must use the power of our voice and vote to punch back."
The NCLR, Latino Groups Unite
Last month, Trump attacked U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel over purported ties to La Raza. Curiel is affiliated with La Raza, only his membership is with a lawyer's association in San Diego, not the NCLR.
"He's Mexican," Trump said, insinuating that the judge overseeing a lawsuit against Trump University is prejudice. Curiel was born in Indiana.
The country's leading Latino advocacy organizations issued a joint statement demanding an apology, both for Curiel and the Latino community.
They called Trump's statements "a textbook example of racism" that is unacceptable and un-American. In his personalized statement, Labor Council for Latin American Advancement Executive Director Hector Sanchez said Trump deserves the condemnation he is receiving.
"Trump conveys to all the daughters and sons of Mexican immigrants that their contributions to our nation are not valued equally - simply because of their Mexican heritage," Sanchez said. "This a far cry from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream that we judge each other on the content of our character, not the color of our skin."
* This is a contributed article and this content does not necessarily represent the views of latinpost.com