While most are slamming Donald Trump for calling Mexican immigrants criminals and “rapists,” actress America Ferrera is thanking him.
“You see, what you just did with your straight talk was send more Latino voters to the polls than several registration rallies combined! Thank you for that,” Ferrerra wrote in a guest blog for the Huffington Post.
“Here we are pounding the pavement to get American Latinos to the polls, while your tactic proves most effective,” she continued. “Remarks like yours will serve brilliantly to energize Latino voters and increase turnout on election day against you and any other candidate who runs on a platform of hateful rhetoric.”
Ferrera also reminded Trump that the US Latino population has exploded in recent years, with a 49 percent increase between 2000 and 2012. “I hope by now you understand that without the Latino vote, there is no chance of you ever winning this election. If you don’t believe me, you could ask President Bush or you could even ask President Obama,” she wrote.
“You, Mr. Trump, are living in an outdated fantasy of a bigoted America,” the “Ugly Betty” star added. She then referenced the recent Supreme Court decisions legalizing gay marriage and upholding the Affordable Care Act, as well as renewed debate around the Confederate flag, as proof that the tide is turning in America.
She ended her piece by reminding Trump that the U.S. is a nation of immigrants and that Latinos are simply the next wave.
“No, Mr. Trump, you may not reduce us to drug dealers and rapists,” she concluded. “We are moms and dads, sons and daughters. We are valedictorians and honor students. We are college graduates, bankers, police officers, entertainers, teachers, journalists, politicians and we are the future of America.”