This week marks the one year anniversary of the real estate mogul, Donald Trump, announcing his candidacy for president with a speech based on racism and xenophobia. Trump said at the time that Mexicans immigrants, who make the delicate decision to leave their country, were nothing more than rapists and criminals, claiming that he would build a wall on the southern border. A year later, Donald Trump continues his odyssey to instill hatred against Mexicans and Latinos.
In his most recent episode of racism, Donald Trump attacked Federal Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who is presiding over a case in which Trump is being sued for fraud for the university that bears his name. Trump accused Judge Curiel of not being able to be impartial and do his job of defending the United States Constitution because his parents are of Mexican origin. Something unheard of.
Judge Curiel was born in the state of Indiana and his parents came to the United States in the 1920s, long before Donald Trump’s mother, who arrived in the 1930s. This is a judge who took the task of handling high profile drug trafficking cases, putting his life at risk. It was thanks to him, with the help of the Mexican authorities, that the doors were opened to start hitting cartels back. This is how Judge Curiel is known and remembered, not for his Mexican heritage.
Even if Judge Curiel were an immigrant or a first generation American, what would it matter? Judge Curiel, first nominated by a Republican governor and then by President Obama to the post he now has and confirmed by the United States Senate, is a highly respected judge in the legal community. Curiel took the same oath that every judge takes to defend and protect the Constitution and laws of this country. Being of Mexican heritage has nothing to do with his ability to carry out that oath.
But this is the candidate that Republicans chose to represent them in this year’s presidential election. Although many within his party have disavowed his racist comments, many of them still plan to vote for him. Donald Trump believes that a person who is not a man or Caucasian, can’t do a good job. In an interview with CNN, Trump said that a Muslim judge could not be impartial because of his policies against Muslims.
Could it also be possible that a woman judge could not be impartial in a case against Trump, as a result of his comments against women calling them pigs and refers to them as sexual objects? Up to what point will the hate and division of Mr. Trump take us? It is obvious that Donald Trump does not respect the democratic system of this country, in which we are all Americans no matter where we came from. Donald Trump wants to use racism and hatred in the hearts of his followers to break the legal system.
Friends, these comments by Donald Trump are repugnant, anti-American, and have no place in our political discourse. The only way we’ll win is making sure we’re registered to vote and to register our relatives and neighbors. Yes we can!
You can find the original article on The Washington Hispanic.
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