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Violent Anti-Trump Protests Break Out in New Mexico

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Violence erupted outside a Donald Trump campaign rally Tuesday night in New Mexico, home to the nation's largest Hispanic population.

Demonstrators lined the streets in Albuquerque, lighting fires, throwing rocks and bottles and even trampling police cruisers. Police used pepper spray and tear gas to break up the crowds.  

"He needs to know -- we do not accept the message he is bringing and the hatred," one demonstrator said.

Meanwhile, inside the rally, protestors repeatedly interrupted the candidate as he tried to address supporters.
 
The tensions in the heavily Hispanic state seems to center around Trump's rhetoric on immigrants. The governor of New Mexico has criticized his language, as have Latino Christian leaders across the country.

"I think Mr. Trump has made some major, major mistakes in his language, when he called Mexicans rapists, when he's portending in policy and what you say matters -- rounding up 12 million people," said Rev. Gabriel Salguero with the National Latino Evangelical Coalition.

Going forward, many political experts are predicting a potentially very dirty slugfest between Trump and Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.  

And the public is clearly showing its dislike for both candidates.  

According to a new Washington Post poll, Trump has a 60 percent unfavorable rating, while Clinton has a 53 percent unfavorable rating.
 
Meanwhile, there's one piece of good news for Trump: House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., is reportedly going to endorse him. That might help as the billionaire works to unify Republicans against Clinton for the election this fall.

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About The Author

Heather
Sells

Heather Sells covers wide-ranging stories for CBN News that include religious liberty, ministry trends, immigration, and education. She’s known for telling personal stories that capture the issues of the day, from the border sheriff who rescues migrants in the desert to the parents struggling with a child that identifies as transgender. In the last year, she has reported on immigration at the Texas border, from Washington, D.C., in advance of the Dobbs abortion case, at crisis pregnancy centers in Massachusetts, and on sexual abuse reform at the annual Southern Baptist meeting in Anaheim