LOS ANGELES, California — Nearly 200 protesters both for and against Donald Trump convened in front of the Luxe Hotel in Brentwood on Friday to air their sentiments towards the 2016 Republican presidential candidate’s statements on illegal immigration.
Police presence was heavy and emotions were running high. The atmosphere became tense when a self-described revolutionary Communist, who was protesting against Trump, confronted a member of the pro-Trump side. “What red, white and blue lagoon did you get pulled out of? Get the f*ck out of here,” he shouted at a man who was holding up a yellow sign which read “Stop Illegal Immigration.”
The man, who wouldn’t provide his name to Breitbart, sported a t-shirt with a picture of the Chairman of the Revolutionary Communist Party Bob Avakian on it. When pressed further, he said he believes “the United States should be swept off the face of the earth as soon as possible. There’s a need for a revolution in the United States.” When pressed further, he said Israel should also be wiped off the face of the earth and that “Israel is the worst thing that happened to the Jews since the Holocaust.”
“Dump Mr. Trump” signs were in no short supply as was a life-sized Papier-mâché Trump Piñata which was at one point placed in a large trash can. Also present was a woman named Michelle “Hope” Walker who made the rounds declaring her candidacy for president, running as an Independent.
A Mexican-American named Moises, who was protesting against Trump with the Coalition for Humane Immigrants Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA), told Breitbart News, “When Trump said what he said [about illegal immigration] he really scared a lot of people and I also felt it.” Asked if he believes illegal immigration should be allowed, he said “everyone should be allowed into this country. It’s still young country and we still have a lot of discrimination because of that.” He explained that his mother had crossed the border from Mexico in 1971 and gave birth to him on U.S. soil in Los Angeles two years later.
The majority of people on the anti-Trump side Breitbart News spoke with were born of immigrant parents, most of whom arrived across the border with the help of “coyotes” or smugglers. They said their decision to support illegal immigration and immigration as a whole had a great deal to do with those personal histories.
One “Dump Mr. Trump” protester of Mexican descent told Breitbart News that he wasn’t sure he would feel the same way about illegal immigration had his parents not come to America in that manner. “Oh. That’s a very good question. I don’t like hypotheticals, but…” When pressed further, he said he does not believe California is overpopulated and, “even if that were the case,” it had nothing to do with immigration.
“America’s immigration system is broken,” Diana Colin, who heads CHIRLA’s “action fund” said. When asked for her thoughts on the war on drugs that is taking place on the border, she said she thinks that “there are many factors for the war on drugs…. We are worried about the people who are here now. These people are workers, college students, small business owners; that’s who we want a pathway to citizenship for.”
On the pro-Trump side, a Peruvian woman named Maria who came to America nearly 20 years ago said she is staunchly against illegal immigration “I like Donald Trump because he say the truth. He is a stone. He is a leader. And we need Donald Trump for presidente 2016. Everything he said is true. He no liar. We need him.” She said she “never asked for nothing” in reference to government handouts and worked hard to achieve her own American dream. She currently works as a full-time caregiver in Los Angeles and has gone back to school to achieve her degree in psychology and social work.
A Mexican-American teen named Angel was there to support Trump as well. “Even though I’m Latino, I do support Trump and I feel like he’s being misjudged a lot.”
Breitbart spoke with Friends of Abe (FOA) Spokesman and well-known American director and producer Jeremy Boering who said the group of conservative Hollywood professionals had started the conversation of having Trump speak to FOA long before he had announced for the presidency. “We never considered canceling on him because we don’t endorse the views of people who speak to us; we give them a fair chance and opportunity to speak with conservatives in Hollywood… we’re giving him an opportunity to speak.”
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