Trump comments cause problems for other GOP candidates

WASHINGTON — Republicans hope to minimize the damage from GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump's derogatory comments about Mexican immigrants, which have galvanized the Hispanic community.

"We are pounding the pavement to get American Latinos to the polls," actress America Ferrera wrote in an open letter to Trump. "Remarks like yours will serve brilliantly to energize Latino voters and increase turnout on election day against you and any other candidate who runs on a platform of hateful rhetoric."

The real estate mogul has been dealing with the fallout since saying that people coming into the United States from Mexico "are bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people." The comments were made during his June 16 presidential announcement.

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NBC, Univision and Macy's have cut business ties with Trump.

While applauding those moves, Hector Sanchez, chair of the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda (NHLA) and executive director of the Labor Council for Latin American Advancement, said this week that other GOP leaders must speak out.

"NHLA now looks to the Republican National Committee, Republican presidential contenders and other Republican congressional and state leaders asking them to also stand with our community and publicly denounce Trump's hateful comments," Sanchez said.

Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry was asked about Trump's comments Thursday after delivering a speech at the National Press Club aimed at convincing African Americans that the GOP could offer them a better deal than Democrats.

"I don't think Donald Trump's remarks reflect the Republican Party," Perry said.

Trump tweeted in response that Perry could have done more as governor to secure the border.

"But that's O.K.," Trump tweeted. "I like him anyway!"

Trump has also said that his comments "have been contorted to seem racist and discriminatory."

In last year's congressional elections, Democrats won the Latino vote by a margin of 62% to 36%, according to the Pew Research Center. Latinos made up an estimated 8% of voters, according to exit polls.

Ferrera, known for her leading role in ABC's Ugly Betty, wrote that Trump's comments will "send more Latino voters to the polls than several registration rallies combined."

Republicans were already struggling with the divisive issue of immigration. Business groups, labor unions, faith leaders and others have pushed for a broad overhaul of immigration reforms that would include a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants already in the United States. That is anathema to many conservatives.

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who is also seeking the GOP nomination for president, backed away from a broad overhaul after facing criticism. After declining for two weeks to address Trump's comments directly, Rubio denounced them as "not just offensive and inaccurate, but also divisive."

But another Hispanic in the race, Ted Cruz, said Trump is "terrific," ''brash" and "speaks the truth."

Contributing: The Associated Press