Latino Leaders Urge Republicans to Distance Themselves From Donald Trump Over 'Xenophobic Rhetoric'

While many of the 2016 presidential candidates have overlooked Republican presidential hopeful and mogul Donald Trump's controversial statements depicting Mexican immigrants as drug dealers and rapists, Latino leaders are reacting to Trump's statements.

With the U.S. Latino population being 54 million strong in the U.S., it's vital that presidential candidates appeal to the interests and needs of the Latino community. According to a Pew Hispanic Report, 57 percent of Latino registered voters supported a Democratic candidate in their congressional district or leaned Democratic, while 28 percent favor the Republican candidate or leaned Republican in the 2014 election. The Pew Report also showed a dip in Democratic's influence over Latino populations, however that might change in light of recent events.

Even to a billionaire, the act of offending an entire population might be downright costly. This was somewhat communicated by Latino Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., who denounced Trump's statements, asserting that Trump's words were "not just offensive and inaccurate, but also divisive." However, fellow Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas emerged as an apologist, claiming that Trump is "terrific," ''brash" and "speaks the truth."

Trump insisted that his words were misconstrued. Trump stated that Mexican immigrants are "bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people," and he offered a letter to supporters that what he wants is for "legal immigrants to not be unfairly punished because others are coming into America illegally, flooding the labor market and not paying taxes." However, it should be clarified that his initial statements made no distinction between Mexicans who emigrated legally and those who emigrated illegally.

Alfonso Aguilar, a Republican leader at the American Principles Project's Latino Partnership, insists that candidates distance themselves from Trump and his ludicrous, insulting and baseless comments. Trump's words have damaged Latino's views of the Republican Party, which could be helped if other Republicans take a step from away from the host of the hit reality series "The Apprentice."

Rev. Gabriel Salguero, president of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition, stated that he plans to pay close attention to how candidates respond to Trump's "xenophobic rhetoric" and will observe "sins of omission."

So far, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who speaks fluently in Spanish, has only expressed that Trump's comments were wrong. Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry insisted, "I don't think Donald Trump's remarks reflect the Republican Party." New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said that Trump's comments were "wholly inappropriate." Cruz, who's a supporter of Trump, maintains that NBC and others are engaging in political correctness by discontinuing business relationships.

Rubio has said that the next American president should be some draws Americans together, not someone who "continues to divide." However, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, former HP chief executive Carly Fiorina, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker have been quiet on the matter.