There is a common belief that all Latinos are undocumented, which is false because (according to pewresearch.org) only 10-15% of Latinos living in the U.S. are undocumented. An undocumented immigrant is then given the label of “illegal”, portraying them as criminals and stripping their humanity and dignity from the beginning.
Many of Donald Trump's supporters are guided by what Trump had stated about Mexico during his presidential campaign in 2016, “When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're sending people that have a lot of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.”
His statement is false.
Immigrants have the lowest crime rate in the U.S., yet Trump and his supporters choose the few Mexicans who have committed a crime to represent the entire Mexican population. The few crimes that have been convicted of are non-harmful, for example, overstaying their visas, repeatedly crossing the border (illegally), using a false social security number (solely for being able to have a job) etc. Few times have undocumented immigrants been convicted of violent crimes. We must not forget about the immigrants that have come to this country seeking asylum, DREAMERS that were brought to this country by their parents as children, people that pay taxes and are American in every way except for their citizenship, and the people who came seeking a better life than the one they had in their country of origin.
The stereotype that Latinos are “criminals” or as said by the president himself, “bad hombres”, is constantly being enforced by television media. The Latino community gets little representation on screen, and when they do, they are portrayed as stereotypes. The criminal stereotype is common in Hollywood, mainly because it is easy. To have the audience believe the character is Latino, the actor must act in a way in which the audience believes he/she is Latino. Common mannerisms include, using a southern California accent, gang symbols, etc.
This stereotype can be traced far back into the early history of film. White Americans portrayed Mexicans using brown face. By this, white actors made a statement they can portray any race and, that they please. Mexican revolutionary leader, Pancho Villa, was an honorable and respectable man, but in “Viva Villa”, American actor, Wallace Beery portrayed him as a drunk, disrespectful among women, and an overall disgusting person. Many of the film’s audience members that have never heard of Pancho Villa were left with a bitter taste of one of Mexico’s historical figures.
Many of Donald Trump's supporters are guided by what Trump had stated about Mexico during his presidential campaign in 2016, “When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're sending people that have a lot of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.”
His statement is false.
Immigrants have the lowest crime rate in the U.S., yet Trump and his supporters choose the few Mexicans who have committed a crime to represent the entire Mexican population. The few crimes that have been convicted of are non-harmful, for example, overstaying their visas, repeatedly crossing the border (illegally), using a false social security number (solely for being able to have a job) etc. Few times have undocumented immigrants been convicted of violent crimes. We must not forget about the immigrants that have come to this country seeking asylum, DREAMERS that were brought to this country by their parents as children, people that pay taxes and are American in every way except for their citizenship, and the people who came seeking a better life than the one they had in their country of origin.
The stereotype that Latinos are “criminals” or as said by the president himself, “bad hombres”, is constantly being enforced by television media. The Latino community gets little representation on screen, and when they do, they are portrayed as stereotypes. The criminal stereotype is common in Hollywood, mainly because it is easy. To have the audience believe the character is Latino, the actor must act in a way in which the audience believes he/she is Latino. Common mannerisms include, using a southern California accent, gang symbols, etc.
This stereotype can be traced far back into the early history of film. White Americans portrayed Mexicans using brown face. By this, white actors made a statement they can portray any race and, that they please. Mexican revolutionary leader, Pancho Villa, was an honorable and respectable man, but in “Viva Villa”, American actor, Wallace Beery portrayed him as a drunk, disrespectful among women, and an overall disgusting person. Many of the film’s audience members that have never heard of Pancho Villa were left with a bitter taste of one of Mexico’s historical figures.