*This does not represent the views of Her Campus
Dear Donald Trump,
My name is Margarita Alely Nunez Arroyo. I am a Mexican–American woman living in the United States, as well as a U.S. citizen. I have watched you speak and behave these past months, and to say I find your words carrying heavy connotations would be sugaring up my dislike of your opinions and beliefs. You made a comment that hurt my community, an action you cannot eradicate.
You stated that Mexico, my home country, sends the worst to this country; that Mexico sends drug dealers, criminals and rapists. I would like you to know that for a great period of my life I lived in California, a territory that once belonged to Mexico. I regularly received comments that I didn’t belong in the United States, or that I was stealing the opportunities of other Americans. I find the idea that Spanish-speaking people don’t belong in this country absurd. The great city of L.A. is a city called Los Angeles, which shows the essence of our people lingers in this land.
The Mexican people have been in this country for a very long time. I have to remind you that the U.S. created the Bracero program in 1942. Franklin Roosevelt met with the Mexican president, Manuel Avila Camacho, to come to the agreement of bringing Mexican labor workers to help remedy the wartime agricultural and railroad importations. My grandfather was a bracero, so he came and helped this country keep itself intact with many other Mexican men. Despite this country’s history, you still have the audacity to go onto live television as a candidate for the presidency of this country and state that Mexicans are rapist, criminals, etc. You need to learn the history of this country correctly.
I also want you to know that we are a culture of individuals that never stop fighting. My father has worked his entire life for his family, and because of him and the indomitable strength of my mother, I am receiving an education and writing this to you. I want you to know the one thing my father has always told me: “Te pueden quitar tu libertad, todas tus cosas materiales, pero nunca te quitaran tu mente y lo que has aprendido.” You can continue to say these horrid things about my culture, my parents and my people, but know that we are a indestructible force. The Spanish conquered us but we still flourished. We are people who have constantly been oppressed, but that has never diminished our hunger to rise. You don’t know my culture, you don’t know my people and you don’t know what the Latin vote is capable of doing to your campaign in this election. However, you will know very soon.
Sincerely,
Margarita Alely Nunez Arroyo