Dear Editor:

As a former journalist, I found it appalling how Donald Trump and his camp treated Jorge Ramos, Latin America’s most respected journalist. 

Clearly what agitated Trump the most is that the Univision reporter was asking him a hard and legitimate question. By telling Ramos to “go back to Univision,” Trump clearly showed disdain and ill-feelings towards a company that pulled from airing his beauty pageant recently.

Journalists by nature and by training are taught to be determined, fierce and aggressive in their questions, if anyone has attended a press conference, that’s exactly what happens. 
The real issue here is Trump’s lack of respect for humanity (women, other races) and the contributions of immigrants to this nation. Yes, the issue of illegal immigration needs to be looked at -- clearly all of us US citizens agree -- but not in the manner Trump is going about it.

We have to be careful not to repeat the grave mistakes of the past, i.e. Japanese internment camps after WWII, the deportation of over 2 million Mexican-Americans during the Great Depression. History has shown us with every economic downturn this nation has faced, scapegoats are found, and these are often the immigrants. The immigrants who so often take the menial jobs neither whites or blacks want...Let’s face it, do we actually think America’s economic woes are the result of illegal ‘aliens’ as they are referred to? 

Contrary to ignorant generalizations, illegals are not the ones committing all the crimes and taking all of our government benefits. Interesting fact here: according to the Pew Research Center, in a 2012 report, government assistance was more likely to go to women than men (61% vs 49%), now more assistance was given to blacks and whites than Hispanics (64% vs 56% vs 50%). 

Now while many use the argument that ‘illegals’ take in more than they bring into the economy, let’s take a look at a review made by the Congressional Budget Office in 2006: The report indicates 70-80% of illegals pay federal, state and local taxes. Illegals are estimated to pay in about $7 billion per year into Social Security. In addition, they spend millions per year supporting the local economy, yet they are not eligible for social security or Medicare services.

What I find repulsive about Trump is his lack of respect, lack of humility, oversized ego and how he believes bullying every individual that crosses his path is the right thing to do in the name of America.

While I applaud Trump for standing up against the same rhetoric of both parties, and I support freedom of speech and freedom of expression, I am repulsed by Trump’s lack of decorum and disrespect to all people.

Claudia Marroquin-Frometa
Downey