Donald Trump, meet an immigrant. Don’t be too surprised when you see who it is.
Donald Trump’s inflammatory remarks in his Presidential announcement, which disparaged Hispanic immigrants, have inspired an interesting social experiment that disproves The Donald’s theory in a most visible, immediate way. On a beach boardwalk recently in Los Angeles, a Hispanic man stood dressed in a bright orange jumpsuit and wearing a red blindfold, handcuffs and chains tied around his ankles. Next to him was a sign that read, “Meet an immigrant, do you really see me as a drug lord, rapist, criminal?” 
Sergio Mejia, the performance artist who is, in fact, an immigrant, thought he would test out The Donald’s theory and see if ordinary Americans agreed with his racist remarks.
“I came up with this idea for a video, only I didn’t know exactly what message I was trying to get across,” said Mejia on his YouTube comments. “I more just wanted to see who supported Donald Trump or not.”
The results far exceeded his expectations.
As you’ll see in the video, people go up and shake his hand. They give him hugs. Some even provide him with water. Others simply offer a handshake. One young woman says, “I’m an immigrant too,” Other comments include, “Just know that you are welcomed here, you’re not a drug lord or rapist,” “You’re a human being,” and “That impacted me more than anything today.”
“I never thought it would have this effect,” said Mejia in an interview. Since he was blindfolded, he couldn’t see people’s facial expressions but he could sense the warmth from people’s handshakes or when they took his hand.
Mejia has an unfortunate familiarity with the immigration process; ICE deported his father deported 10 years ago. He remembers visiting his father in jail in Lancaster, California and seeing him in the ubiquitous orange jumpsuit – a reminder of their precarious status.
“So my dad was something else, an incredible man like many other immigrant fathers,” said Mejia on his YouTube comments. “So when society labeled him as a criminal, I saw through that label as a young child. And that is exactly what ‘Meet An Immigrant’ is all about.”
“Meet an Immigrant”
Go to the next page to find out about the Mexican who just fired The Donald!
