Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's anti-Mexican remarks were addressed at the House of Representatives on Thursday morning. While addressing from the House floor, U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill., went on to discuss the vulnerability undocumented immigrants encounter and reiterated the need for immigration reforms.

"For the record, I am not Mexican and I am not an immigrant. Given the rhetoric of the leading Republican candidate for President, it is important to point that out at the start before I am accused of being a criminal, a drug-dealer or a rapist," said Gutierrez as his opening remarks. "To be fair, Donald Trump did not say that all Latinos or all Mexicans are rapists. Just that the vast majority of Mexican immigrants are rapists, drug-dealers and criminals."

Gutierrez said he might have found a common agreement with Trump. The Republican presidential candidate stated some immigrant women reported to being sexually assaulted, which is a point Gutierrez recognized. Gutierrez said, "Women and children at the lowest rung of our economic and social ladder are incredibly vulnerable to sexual assault and rape. But the leap from saying that most undocumented women are vulnerable to assault and saying most undocumented men are rapists is, as he might say himself, 'huge.'"

The Illinois congressman acknowledged that rape and abuse assaults are not exclusively done by Latino immigrants but also by men of all colors and nationalities, including "red, white and blue Americans." According to Gutierrez, Trump has been missing the point on immigration and regarding the death of Californian Kate Steinle, who was shot by an undocumented immigrant.

"When we have felons in federal custody or state and local custody with warrants for drug crimes who are deported multiple times and come back, this Congress has not done its job, unfairly leaving states and localities to cope with decades of inaction on immigration, criminal justice and a range of other issues," said Gutierrez, noting he does not have sympathy for the immigrant suspect.

Gutierrez called for a better immigration system for undocumented immigrants, specifically for those who have lived in the U.S. for a significant amount of time. He suggested an immigration system for immigrants who have contributed to society, ensures them not to be afraid to dial for emergency services and pay for their own have a criminal background check.

"What if we had a system where people could come legally in the first place, if they prove their identity and have no criminal background," Gutierrez continued. "I argue that such a system would allow us to reduce significantly the number of people who are in the country without legal status. It would shrink the size of communities where many people are undocumented, where people are afraid to call the police so that criminals find it easy to blend in, not stick out."

The congressman said that if an improved immigration system were implemented, then U.S. enforcement and deportation resources would be better focused on real criminals who may warrant deportation. Gutierrez said Republicans have fought against such an immigration system has been.

"So when a hotel and casino owner gets on his high horse about Mexican immigrants, about crime, rape, and murder, let's think about who is standing between the United States...and a modern immigration system based on common-sense, compassion, and yes, the rule of law."

__

For the latest updates, follow Latin Post's Michael Oleaga on Twitter: @EditorMikeO or contact via email: m.oleaga@latinpost.com.

Related