- Title: USA-MEXICO/BEATING Trump condemns anti-immigrant attack in Boston
- Date: 21st August 2015
- Summary: ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** (SOUNDBITE) (English) DONALD TRUMP, REAL ESTATE MOGUL AND 2016 U.S. PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, SAYING: "When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're not sending you; they're not sending you. They're sending people that have lots of problems and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs. Th
- Embargoed: 5th September 2015 13:00
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- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA5LXOJHJ9WBABPVMTIQ3PKYUSI
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: U.S. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Friday (August 21) condemned an attack by two Massachusetts brothers who urinated on and beat a Mexican citizen, citing his desire to deport undocumented immigrants from the United States.
"Boston incident is terrible. We need energy and passion, but we must treat each other with respect. I would never condone violence," Trump tweeted.
The brothers, 38-year-old Scott Leader and 30-year-old Steve Leader, were arrested and ordered held without bail on Wednesday (August 19) while they await trial on charges that include assault and battery, for the purpose of intimidation because of national origin.
The men told police they targeted their 58-year-old victim because they believed he was an undocumented immigrant. According to a police report, they told officers, "Donald Trump was right, all these illegals need to be deported."
Trump, the New York property developer and former reality TV star, has jumped to the front of the pack of candidates seeking the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, driven in part by promises to deport all undocumented immigrants and order the construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
In June, he was heavily criticized after telling reporters that Mexico was "not sending their best" people to the U.S.
"They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people but I speak to border guards and they tell us what we're getting and it only makes common sense -- they're sending us not the right people," Trump said.
The Leader brothers began their attack after midnight on Wednesday (August 19) by urinating on the victim's face while he was asleep at an above-ground subway station, pulling him from his sleeping bag and beating him with a metal pole.
The victim, whose name has not been released, was treated for a broken nose and other injuries at Boston Medical Center, according to police. He is still receiving treatment there, said hospital spokeswoman Ellen Slingsby, who declined to provide further details on his condition.
Consular officials have confirmed his Mexican citizenship but not yet verified his claim to have been granted permanent legal residency in the United States, Daniel Hernandez Joseph, the Mexico's consul general in Boston, said.
One of the brothers went on to threaten police officers, saying from his cell that he would attack them if he were not locked up.
Not guilty pleas were entered on the brothers' behalf. - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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