Members of a local immigrant-rights group were slated to stage a protest in front of the Mexican Consulate in Los Angeles late Wednesday to express their outrage at Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump’s visit to Mexico, and at the Mexican president’s decision to invite him in the first place.
Trump’s visit with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto came hours ahead of a speech the Republican candidate is scheduled to deliver in Phoenix on the topic of immigration. Some campaign observers have questioned in recent weeks whether Trump is softening his hard-line stance on immigration, which in the past has included vows to deport everyone living in the country illegally, a proposed ban on all Muslim immigrants and construction of a wall — funded by Mexico — on the U.S.-Mexico border.
Members of the Full Rights for Immigrants Coalition said they remain vehemently opposed to Trump, and they questioned why Pena Nieto invited the Republican for a meeting.
“It’s not clear why Mexico’s president thinks it’s a good idea to invite Donald Trump, a Republican billionaire, to meet with him in Mexico City,” said Juan Jose Gutierrez, director of Vamos Unidos USA, which is affiliated with the coalition. “How Mr. Pena Nieto rationalizes his invitation to the Republican presidential candidate, an avowed racist who continues to accuse Mexican immigrants of rape and other heinous crimes, only he knows.
“That is why our community desperately needs to support more trusted and predictable candidates to be our next president of the United States,” he said.
The coalition plans to rally at the Mexican Consulate, 2401 W. Sixth St., at 5:30 p.m.
Pena Nieto also invited Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton to Mexico for a meeting. There’s been no word whether Clinton has accepted the invitation.
After the meeting with Trump, Pena Nieto called the session “open and constructive,” although he acknowledged “we may not agree on certain subjects.” He said he told Trump the North American Free Trade Agreement — which Trump has denounced — has been good for both Mexico and the United States, but said the deal can always be revisited and improved.
He said both countries should be investing in efforts to make the border more secure. He also said it is important for people who may have divergent viewpoints to meet in hopes of reaching common ground.
Trump, who called Pena Nieto’s invitation a “great honor,” also characterized the meeting as “substantive” and “constructive.” He praised the “contributions of millions of Mexican-Americans to the United States,” adding, “I happen to have a tremendous feeling for Mexican-Americans.”
“… They are amazing people, amazing people,” he said.
He reiterated his commitment to ending illegal immigration and drug and human trafficking. Trump said he and Pena Nieto did not discuss his assertion that Mexico will pay for the wall along the border, although they did discuss the concept of the wall.
“I shared my strong view that NAFTA has been a far greater benefit to Mexico than it has been to the United States and it must be improved upon to make sure workers … in both countries benefit from fair and reciprocal trade,” Trump said.
–City News Service