A Latino surrogate for the Trump campaign warned Thursday that without tighter immigration policies from the Republican presidential nominee, “you’re going to have taco trucks on every corner.”
Latinos for Trump founder Marco Gutierrez’s comments came while he was defending Donald Trump’s immigration position to MSNBC’s Joy-Ann Reid.
“My culture is a very dominant culture. And it’s imposing, and it’s causing problems. If you don’t do something about it, you’re going to have taco trucks on every corner,” Gutierrez said.
Moments before, Gutierrez had argued that “the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few” and that “we need to understand that this is a different time and we’re having different problems” regarding illegal immigration.
Trump’s campaign did not respond to a CNN request for comment.
The Trump supporter’s comment about “taco trucks” sparked backlash and mockery on social media, with the hashtag #tacotrucksoneverycorner trending on Twitter throughout the night.
“Hey, what’s wrong with #TacoTrucksOnEveryCorner?! Use my Evamoji for the taco truck! #Evamoji” actress and activist Eva Longoria wrote on Twitter, including an image of taco truck.
Hillary Clinton’s campaign also joined in, with spokesman Brian Fallon tweeting, “(Clinton campaign manager) Robby Mook & Team Brooklyn is fired up for #TacoTrucksOnEveryCorner.”
Immigration policy has been at the center of the Trump campaign’s messaging over the last week, as the Republican nominee made a high-profile trip to Mexico to meet with President Enrique Peña Nieto. Trump followed that up the same day with a major speech on his immigration position, intended to clarify a stance that had become muddled as the candidate vacillated between “softening” his policy and maintaining the hardline policies he’d touted during the primary.