Republican Presidential Nominee Donald Trump Refers To Immigrants As “Bad Hombres”

Trump: “We Have Some Bad Hombres Here And We’re Going To Get Them Out.” While talking about his immigration positions during the third and final presidential debate on October 19, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump referred to immigrants as “bad hombres,” which translates from Spanish to “bad men”:

DONALD TRUMP: We're going to secure the border, and once the border is secured at a later date we'll make a determination as to the rest, but we have some bad hombres here and we're going to get them out. [CNN, Debate Night in America, 10/19/16]

Media Figures Explain: “Bad Hombres” Is An Offensive Smear And Stereotype Of Latinos

CNN’s Van Jones: Trump “Spoke A Spanish Word Only To Insult And Smear And Stereotype Latino Immigrants.” During CNN’s post-debate coverage, CNN political commentator Van Jones explained that Trump saying “we have some bad hombres here” in the context of immigration was offensive because it was used “to stereotype and smear” Latino immigrants in particular. From CNN’s October 19 post-debate coverage:

VAN JONES: There’s one thing we haven't talked about, and we need to talk about it, which is, for the first time Donald Trump used Spanish. He spoke a Spanish word only to insult and smear and stereotype Latino immigrants, and no other immigrants. He said “we have some bad hombres.” The only time this man has used Spanish in the entire election was used to stereotype and smear Latino immigrants. Not all immigrants, but Latino immigrants. I thought that was horrible and if you look at Twitter, that’s going to be another reason that he -- that the Republican Party is going to have a very difficult time being a party for all of the country. [CNN, Debate Night in America, 10/19/16]

Fox’s Geraldo Rivera: Saying “Bad Hombres” Is Like Saying “Drunken Irish Or Greedy Jew.” While appearing as a guest on Fox News’ Fox & Friends, Geraldo Rivera said Trump’s “bad hombres” was a “dumb remark,” comparing it to other stereotypes like "'drunken Irish' or 'greedy jew.'" From the October 20 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends:

BRIAN KILMEADE (CO-HOST): Geraldo Rivera, known to be a bad hombre at some point.

GERALDO RIVERA: The baddest of hombres. Baddest of hombres.

KILMEADE: Are you insulted by that?

RIVERA: I love Trump, but what a dumb remark.

KILMEADE: Really?

STEVE DOOCY (CO-HOST): Why?

RIVERA: Really. I mean, seriously. How do you like “drunken Irish” or “greedy Jew”? I mean it seriously. Bad hombre? I understand. The reason -- people ask me why don't I hate him with some of these positions. I don't hate him because I don't think he has a malicious bone in his body. I really don't. He's of my era, the Mad Men era. [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 10/20/16]

Univision’s Ezequiel Hernández: Bad Hombres Had A “Racist Tone.” Univision legal contributor Ezequiel Hernández said “there was a racist tone” in Trump’s remarks because he blamed the “Mexican man” for the problems of “undocumented immigration and crime.” Translated from the October 19 edition of Univision’s post-debate coverage:

MARIA ELENA SALINAS: We heard Donald Trump talk very similarly to what he’s said in the past about the issue of immigration, and Hillary Clinton as well, a very similar proposal to what we’ve already heard. What was left out of this debate, in terms of the immigration issue? What left voters and Hispanic immigrants wanting more?

EZEQUIEL HERNÁNDEZ: Well, first of all, what are we going to do from here until things are fixed? There was no discussion about [President Obama’s] executive action, there was discussion about Supreme Court justices, that was the issue they discussed earlier. But there was no discussion of the thousands of children that have arrived at the border and who are waiting, who have been deported. From now, until something is done, there’s Haitians in the U.S. border waiting to be let in, and there isn’t a specific issue that can address these people. And once again, there was a racist tone where he called, essentially the problem of undocumented immigration and crime -- to the Mexican man. Well, here’s a bad man telling you, that you didn’t only just need to win over the female vote -- this is what I’m telling Trump -- but now he’s also drawing attention from men. [Univision, Debate: Clinton Vs. Trump, 10/19/16]