When Donald Trump announced his decision to run for the 2016 presidential candidacy, he angered many Latinos and Hispanics alike. His comments regarding Mexico laughing at Americans and not sending their best earned him the ire of all. Many have come to despise him despite the fact he brings awareness to unpopular topics. I want to address it from a different perspective ― one where I partially agree with Trump.

A DOG-EAT-DOG WORLD

I am a Latina born in the States and though I went to private Christian school my entire life, I did not live in the safest area of Los Angeles. I learned and am still learning street smarts most people could not dream of. I saw shady business dealings and families that could not even trust each other.

For clarity, I do not completely agree with what Trump said. Solely one race or ethnicity does not make up the entirety of criminals ― evil afflicts the human race as a whole. Not only immigrants have problems and commit crime and it is an incredibly ridiculous notion to perceive so. However, some Latinos do commit crimes and it becomes a dog-eat-dog world in which every person must do what they need in order to survive.

A COMMON CONVERSATION

Breaking his comments down, some Latinos do laugh at America. They laugh at Americans for business, for their naivety and ignorance of the world around them. They laugh about how we focus only on learning English instead of learning other languages and how easily they can rip off Americans. The materialism and wastefulness of Americans remains a common conversation in and around Latino communities.

THE ROLE OF A COYOTE

Some immigrants do bring illegal substances and activities with them, but only because some are forced to. A “coyote” plays the role of bringing illegal immigrants and even materials across the border. The money they make is huge and the risk even larger. In an interview with CNN, Trump commented that someone, though he did not provide a specific name, was raping the women who were crossing the border. In the article by Fusion, Trump referred to claims that nearly 80 percent of women are raped along the way to the United States by criminal gangs, traffickers, other migrants or even corrupt officials. Many of the offenders and victims are Latinos.

Latina women are threatened into these kinds of situations and because of shame and fear of deportation, they do not go to authorities. I hear horror stories that are too commonplace amongst women who cross the border. And though a family may cross the border, the coyote who brought them may have forced them into paying him high fines. If they cannot pay for whatever reason, the coyote can alert authorities of the family’s exact location to have them deported.

Trump’s statements are truthful in that some legal and illegal immigrants do bring crime and drugs into the states. This is not due to their race, but rather due to the fact that crime breeds more crime, and the fear of deportation creates a system where victims feel as though they cannot talk to the authorities. We must remember immigrants are people searching for a better life than the life they led back in their home country. They are not a faceless issue we should continue to disregard.