Some prominent Hispanic intellectuals have signed a letter in which they refuse “to remain silent about the alarming statements” made by United States presidential hopeful Donald Trump.

Galvanized by Mexican historian Enrique Krauze and U.S.-based Cuban intellectual Carmelo Mesa-Lago, 67 people signed the “Declaration of Hispanic Intellectuals, Scientists, and Academics against Trump’s Xenophobia”.

The letter was written in rejection against the anti-immigrant position taken by Trump, denouncing the Republican candidate’s discourse, charging that it appeals to xenophobia, chauvinism, political intolerance and religious dogmatism.

Interviewed by El Universal, Krauze explained that raising a voice could well serve as a way to warn about the risk presented by Trump, while trying at the same time to show Americans that everyone who lives in the U.S. shares a culture and a language and works hard for their own betterment.

“The letter was Carmelo’s idea. He discussed it with me and we began working on a draft. After the editing was over, we shared it among about a hundred people and had a good response. Some didn’t want to sign it for different reasons; some of the reasons were good, others worthy, others not so much, but the feedback was generally positive,” said Krauze. ...