El Chapo's Lawyers Say He Can't Get A Fair U.S. Trial Because Of Donald Trump

They say the United States is hostile toward Mexicans.
Mexican drug kingpin El Chapo is fighting extradition to the United States. His lawyers say GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump's rhetoric is an example of why he won't be able to get a fair trial.
Mexican drug kingpin El Chapo is fighting extradition to the United States. His lawyers say GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump's rhetoric is an example of why he won't be able to get a fair trial.
Associated Press

El Chapo's lawyers are fighting efforts to extradite their client, the world's most notorious drug kingpin, to the United States, where he would face a number of federal charges that include drug trafficking and murder.

They argue that their client, Joaquin Guzmán Loera, wouldn't receive a fair trial in the U.S. because of a hostile environment toward Mexicans. To prove their point, they are citing the anti-Mexican rhetoric of GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump, according to The New York Times.

Trump, the current Republican frontrunner, built his campaign upon his hostility toward Mexicans. At his speech announcing his run for president, Trump compared Mexican immigrants to rapists.

"When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best... They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people," he said.

Since then, Trump has doubled down on his attacks on Latinos, even taking a shot at former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R) for having a Mexican-born wife.

In July, ABC News reported that Trump asked the FBI to investigate a Twitter threat after he repeatedly tweeted about El Chapo.

Mexican authorities finally caught El Chapo on Jan. 8, months after he escaped from a maximum security prison.

Mexican officials have long bristled at U.S. requests to extradite El Chapo, wanting to show that they could deal with their own affairs. But after the drug kingpin's July escape -- a significant embarrassment for the government -- authorities have agreed to go along with the U.S. push.


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