Hillary Clinton California Protest In LA Called For By Latino Human Rights Group

Hillary Clinton is heading to California this week to campaign ahead of the state’s crucial June 7 primary, and while the Democratic front-runner has done well among Hispanic voters this election cycle, not all Latinos are excited for her visit.

The Human Rights Alliance for Child Refugees and Families, a Latino organization that advocates for the rights of immigrants and refugees, is organizing a rally Monday in protest of her trip to California. The Los Angeles-based organization said on the Facebook page for its event it is “calling on the people of Los Angeles to take to the streets to remind her that she is NOT welcomed in LA!”

“She is a war criminal who has openly called for the deportation of unaccompanied refugee children back to Central America,” the event page continues. “She was responsible for the coup of President Manuel Zelaya of Honduras and the killing of thousands in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Palestine.”

The protest has been endorsed by a number of other Latino organizations in California, and the event makes it clear that the rally is not affiliated with the campaign of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, Clinton’s rival for the Democratic nomination.

This month, several hundred protesters — many of whom Sanders supporters — demonstrated outside a Clinton event in East Los Angeles, the LA Daily News reported. There, many chanted “Hillary out of East LA” in Spanish, and others called the candidate a “liar” and criticized everything from what they considered her pandering to Latinos to her support for hawkish foreign policies.

Latino organizations have taken particular issue with Clinton’s treatment of Honduras during and after her time as secretary of state. After the 2009 coup there, the country has seen increased security problems and human rights abuses, which have led thousands of Hondurans to leave the country. Clinton has been criticized for not doing more to help these migrants.

Still, a Fox News poll released Friday found Clinton leading presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump by a large margin among Latino voters. The poll showed 62 percent of registered Latino voters would support Clinton, while just 23 would choose Trump. Both Clinton and Trump had high levels of unfavorability; 56 percent of Latino voters had a favorable view of Clinton, and 41 percent held an unfavorable opinion. Trump, on the other hand, had a 74 percent unfavorable rating among Latinos, and just 23 percent viewed him favorably.

Sanders plans to spend most of the time between this week and June 7 in California trying to woo voters and convince them they do not have to choose between two unpopular candidates. However, he remains far behind Clinton in the delegate count, and it is unlikely he will be able to catch up despite continued protests like the one planned this afternoon as well as the enthusiasm from young voters around the country.