TORONTO — Rather than chastising Donald Trump for his comments about Latino immigrants, actress America Ferrera is thanking him for encouraging them to vote.
In an open letter published Thursday, the 31-year-old Ugly Betty star calls Trump’s comments “pretty offensive … incredibly ignorant and racist.”
But Ferrera thanks the Republican presidential candidate for “helping us in our work to energize the Latino vote and to usher in our shared future.”
She wrote: “You see, what you just did with your straight talk was send more Latino voters to the polls than several registration rallies combined! Thank you for that. … 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.”
Ferrera was born in Los Angeles to parents who immigrated to the U.S. from Honduras. She graduated from the University of Southern California in 2013 with a degree in International Relations.
Her credits include The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and How to Train Your Dragon.
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Calling Latinos “the future” of the U.S., Ferrera says Trump is “living in an outdated fantasy of a bigoted America.”
She wrote: “Your negativity and your poorly thought out speech ignited a fire in our community. Thank you, Mr. Trump! Thank you for reminding us that there remains an antiquated and endangered species of bigots in this country that we must continue to combat.
“Thank you for reminding us to not sit complacently at home on election day, but to run to the polls and proclaim that there is no place for your brand of racial politicking in our government. Thank you for sending out the rallying cry.”
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