LOS ANGELES – Please attribute the following statement on Donald Trump’s fear-mongering speech in response to an imaginary “crisis” at the southern border to Thomas A. Saenz, president and general counsel of MALDEF (Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund):

“As expected, tonight Donald Trump delivered a short televised message packed with obfuscation, deception, and dog whistles, all in service of a profligate agenda to force U.S. taxpayers to construct an unneeded and expensive monument to racism and xenophobia. From the 2015 commencement of his presidential campaign, Donald Trump has lied consistently about our southern border and those who cross it. The truth is that Donald Trump has no interest in facts or wise policy when it comes to immigration. His only interest is to dehumanize people who seek a better life for themselves and their children, all in search of a solution to his dwindling popularity and his increasing inability to find anyone who will work in his administration, even at the highest levels.

“Deception is not leadership. Decontextualization is not leadership. Demonization is not leadership. Our nation and our policy concerns demand real leadership that Donald Trump is impotent to provide. The time for bombast is over.”