Jorge Ramos Defended By Univision CEO After Donald Trump Ejects Anchor Out Of Press Conference

Univision CEO Randy Falco on Wednesday accused Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump of indulging in behavior that was “beneath contempt” -- a day after the network’s news anchor Jorge Ramos was unceremoniously ejected from a press conference where he tried to question Trump about immigration.

“Jorge Ramos is one of the most professional, dedicated and respected journalists I have seen or worked with in my 40 years in media. He always asks hard questions of candidates and elected officials, regardless of party or issue,” Falco said, in a statement released late Wednesday. “As a Presidential candidate, Mr. Trump is going to get tough questions from the press and has to answer them.”

During Tuesday’s press conference, after Ramos stood up and attempted to question the candidate about his controversial plans for immigration reform, the anchorman was briefly escorted out by a member of Trump’s staff. Ramos was eventually allowed back into the conference.

Univision is by far the most-watched Spanish-language broadcaster in the U.S., and Ramos -- co-anchor of Univision’s nightly newscast, Noticiero Univision, and the host of its Sunday political talk show, Al Punto -- is arguably one of the most influential journalists in the country's Spanish-language press, with a dedicated following among Latino voters.

Earlier on Wednesday, Trump, known for his tiffs with NBC -- which recently cut ties with him over “derogatory” statements about Mexican immigrants -- and Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly, defended the decision to remove Ramos from the press conference.

“I will tell you, he was totally out of line last night. ... He stood up and started ranting and raving like a madman,” Trump reportedly said Wednesday morning.

Ramos, however, insisted that Trump was fostering hatred and division, and that it was his right as a “U.S. citizen, as an immigrant, and as a journalist” to ask the GOP presidential hopeful “specific” questions about “what he wanted to do with 11 million undocumented migrants.”

Ramos’ sentiments were also echoed by Falco, who, in his statement, said that Trump’s actions “demonstrated complete disregard for him and for the countless Hispanics whom Jorge seeks to represent through press questions that are at the heart of the First Amendment.”