Politicians and advocacy groups have criticized the Republican presidential candidates for anti-Latino and anti-immigrant remarks, but Republican National Committee (RNC) chairman Reince Priebus debunked such claims.

Priebus said the candidates are responsible for their own actions and statements, and the tone of the message is priority.

"I've said many times that the way you communicate in tone is very important," Priebus said on Sunday during an appearance on CNN's "State of the Union." Sometimes it's not what you say, but it's how you say it."

The RNC chairman said the candidates should be attentive and careful about their words.

"[A]ll these candidates have to account for their own mouths and their words, so if you back to 2012, it wasn't anything another candidate said, whether it be the '47 percent' or whether it be 'self-deportation,' it was the nominees' words that came back in the play," added Priebus. "I think at the end of the day, each candidate is going to be accountable for their own words and their own mouth so they should proceed with caution."

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) was quick to pounce back at the RNC chairman's comments. DNC Hispanic Media Director Pablo Manriquez said Priebus is wrong to believe the "tone" is the problem in the campaign. Manriquez referenced the Republican presidential candidates that have stirred much attention in anti-Latino and anti-immigrant rhetoric.

In regards to GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump, the businessman has been criticized since the launch of his presidential campaign when he called Mexican immigrants "criminals" and "rapists." His immigration reform plan was also blasted, which called for mass deportations of 11.3 million undocumented immigrants currently in the U.S., the end of birthright citizenship -- a 14th Amendment provision that grants U.S. citizenship to U.S.-born children of undocumented immigrants, a wall between the U.S.-Mexico border and more border patrol agents.

Fellow Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush was under the spotlight for using the term "anchor baby." Bush's immigration plan has not been criticized as harshly compared to Trump. Bush's plan would work on an earned path to legal status, enhance technology at the border, electronic verification of employment eligibility and an intergovernmental task force "to locate and apprehend overstays."

"While Republican candidates like Jeb Bush and Donald Trump continue to spout off disgusting rhetoric, Reince Priebus is wrong in believing that simply changing their tone will help Republicans," said Manriquez in a statement.

"Republican presidential candidates continue to oppose comprehensive immigration reform and would cement 2nd class citizenship for an entire segment of our population. They want to undermine birthright citizenship as guaranteed in the 14th Amendment. They want to end protections against deportation, which would split up families," Manriquez added.

The DNC Hispanic media director said the candidates' tone will not matter since their political stance are "offensive" and harmful to families.

The RNC has been working on building its Latino voter engagement. In June, RNC Deputy Political Director Jennifer Sevilla Korn told Latin Post that the GOP's groundwork and grassroots efforts has been building a base ahead of the 2016 elections.

The RNC is fully aware about the importance of the Latino community, as noted in its "Growth and Opportunity Project" report, which recommends Republicans to support the Latinos by embracing comprehensive immigration reform. The report noted, "If we do not, our Party's appeal will continue to shrink to its core constituencies only. We also believe that comprehensive immigration reform is consistent with Republican economic policies that promote job growth and opportunity for all."

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