“They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with them. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.” -Donald Trump June 16 Trump Tower Atrium

Donald Trump’s comment on Mexican immigrants coming into the United States sparked outrage from voters across the country.

“I think Trump’s comments are ridiculous,” junior Aaron Sahlman said. “You can’t judge somebody by their color, race, ethnicity or what religion they follow. Some people will disregard his comments on immigration, but when people take his comments to heart it can change people. His comments can kind of brainwash people into thinking immigrants are bad.”

Sophomore Luis Lara is of Mexican descent, and criticized Trump’s statements.

“Every society is going to have problems,” Lara said. “It’s not just immigrants that create problems in the United States.”

Lara’s parents are from Mexico and moved to the United States after Lara was  born.

“My parents feel that his comments make immigrants look bad,” Lara said. “My parents get offended by what he has said. They think he is nuts.”

Junior Hallie Samuel agrees with Trump’s policies, but ridicules the way he states his opinion.

“I feel he should state his comments in a different way, because they can definitely be taken offensively,” Samuel said. “He needs to refrain from generalization and make a more factual argument about why. Right now he looks like he is making an argument based on immigrants’ race and cultural ideas instead of using facts to back up his argument.”

Similarly to Samuel, freshman Stanley Robinson disagrees with the way Trump voices his opinion on immigration, but agrees with some of his policies.

“I agree with his policy that illegal immigrants should not be allowed in the United States, because they are illegal,” Robinson said. “I do not agree that all illegal immigrants are bad. Most illegal immigrants do not come to the United States to commit crimes. Most illegal immigrants come to the United States to escape things such as crime, rape and drug issues. They are trying to get to a better country  from their existing one.”

Immigrants around the country have spoken out against Trump, saying his comments make all immigrants look bad.

“I don’t think immigrants appreciate Trump saying that they are bad people,” Robinson said. “His comments will make immigrants feel uncomfortable with the United States, I imagine.”

A poll taken by the Public Religion Research Institute and the Brookings Institution revealed that Immigrants make up 17% of the workforce in the United States and 72% of immigrants believe they are changing the country positively. Lara’s ideas are equivalent to this poll.

“His remarks obviously don’t show the good in immigrants and how immigrants can help the country,” Lara said.

In the same poll, 78% of Americans said that immigrants should be allowed to become American citizens or legal residents, while 21% favored deportation.

“I wouldn’t deport every illegal immigrant living in the United States,” Robinson said. “If they have come to America, let them take a test or give them a background check to make them legal immigrants before just kicking them out of the country.”

Lara criticized Trump for his use of general statements regarding race and immigrants.

“Trump’s comments make all immigrants look bad, and that is unacceptable,” said Lara.