Mr. Speaker. for the record. I am not Mexican. and I am not an immigrant. Given the rhetoric of one of the leading Republican candidates 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. To be fair. Donald Trump didnt say that all Latinos or all Mexicans are rapists. just that the vast majority of Mexican immigrants are rapists. drug dealers. and criminals. Clearly. if anyone has firsthand knowledge of Mexican immigrants working in the United States. it should be the owner of a hotel. casino. office buildings. or a clothing line. But Trump doesnt seem to be basing his opinions about Mexican immigrants on personal knowledge. To justify his claims. Trump says that most of the women coming from Central America to the U.S. through Mexico and other countries report being sexually assaulted. On this point. he and I have some agreement. 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 documentary on PBS Frontline. "Rape in the Fields." was a powerful expose on how immigrant women toiling in our fields are regularly the victims of rape and abuse because perpetrators recognize how vulnerable immigrant women are. They are afraid to talk to the police. afraid they will be deported. and afraid they will lose their children. And this fear to report crimes makes us all less safe. Yes. the rape and abuse is sometimes perpetrated by other Latino immigrants. perhaps even Mexicans. but these crimes are also committed by men of all colors and national origins. including red. white. and blue Americans. So when Donald Trump says on CNN. "Well. someone is doing the raping." as further evidence that we should be building a big wall so he can plaster his name on it and keep immigrants out. I think it is pretty clear The Donald misses the point. The question is: How do we create an immigration system that protects us from criminals and that allows people to come with visas and not smugglers so that their work is honored. safe. protected by our labor laws? How do we make sure that these workers who contribute so much to Americas economy are not afraid to dial 911 and report wage theft or assault when someone. anyone. is threatening them or their families? Now. the antiimmigration wing of the Republican Party in this body and on the air is saying that Trump may have a point. After all. a beautiful. innocent woman was shot in cold blood by a Mexican immigrant in San Francisco just last week. Why wasnt he deported? Why wasnt he held in jail the last time? And you will actually hear this on FOX News: Why is President Obama letting Mexicans kill beautiful young American women? As the father of two daughters about the age of Kate Steinle. the young woman who was shot and killed. I pray every night that no one of any racial or ethnic background ever does my daughters harm. and I can only imagine the grief that her family is feeling. When we have felons in Federal custody or State or 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. I have no sympathy for the man accused in this crime. Murderers should rot in hell.
Identified stereotypes
The vast majority of Mexican immigrants are rapists, drug dealers, and criminals.