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Immigration Activists "Shame" Trump During His Fundraiser Stop In Doral

Tim Padgett
/
WLRN.org
Immigration advocates hold up their "wall of shame" outside the Trump National Doral Miami resort to protest Donald Trump's immigration platform.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump was in town Tuesday night for a campaign fundraiser. Across the street was a reminder of why he’s so popular with his fans – but also why he’s so reviled by his foes.

While Trump was inside the friendly confines of his Trump National Doral Miami resort, outside dozens of activists organized by United Families demonstrated against his tough immigration platform. They held a long paper “Wall of Shame” with cutouts of Trump to protest his call to build a wall along the Mexican border.

South Florida’s immigrant community is more diverse today than just Cubans. So Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric – such as calling Mexican migrants “murderers and rapists” – has angered local Latinos like Argentine contractor Mauro Kennedy, who was once himself undocumented.

“I’m feeling very insulted," said Kennedy. "I can’t believe that somebody can talk like that, can speak like that, about me and my family.”

The activists warned leading Florida politicians who back Trump – like U.S. Senator Marco Rubio – that he’s galvanizing the large Latino swing vote against them too.

“They do not represent our culture, our Miami," said Mexican-born Cynthia Hernandez, a local labor union leader. "So watch out Trump, beware, because you do not represent our country.”

Trump and the Republicans accuse President Obama and the Democrats of not enforcing U.S. immigration laws.

Trump was supposed to meet with Latino leaders in Miami during this visit, but has called it off. He had postponed the meeting earlier this month because of the Dallas police shootings.

Tim Padgett is the Americas Editor for WLRN, covering Latin America, the Caribbean and their key relationship with South Florida. Contact Tim at tpadgett@wlrnnews.org
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