Republican Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina is in hot water over his recent suggestion that Hispanics are less likely to wear masks and social distance amid the coronavirus pandemic.
In an audio clip posted online by Democratic super PAC American Bridge, Tillis is heard saying during a virtual town hall on Tuesday, “Just wear the mask out of respect. Now I will tell you I’m not a scientist and I’m not a statistician, but one of the concerns that we’ve had more recently is that the Hispanic population now constitutes about 44% of the positive cases, and we do have some concerns that in the Hispanic population we’ve seen less consistent adherence to social distancing and wearing a mask.”
These comments come after Tillis has expressed concern that a high number of people in North Carolina were not taking enough precautions.
These comments did not sit well with Democrats, who viewed them as discriminatory and called him out for it.
“This racist BS needs to stop. Latinos & African Americans are most at risk, dying at higher rates — and STILL going to work every day b/c they are essential workers,” Democratic Rep. Veronica Escobar of Texas, a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus tweeted. “Meanwhile, Republican colleagues in Congress are the ones who refuse to use masks. @ThomTillis — cut the crap.”
Much like Donald Trump, Tillis is not aware of vital statistics regarding the current pandemic. A recent Pew Research Center survey confirmed that a higher percentage of Hispanic adults wore masks majority of the time in stores compared to their white counterparts.
In fact, 74% of Hispanic adults, 80% of Asian adults and 69% of Black adults said that they all wore masks in stores most or “all or most of the time” as opposed to 62% of White adults who said the same thing.
Democratic Rep. Ruben Gallego of Arizona, also a member of the Hispanic Caucus, chimed in to slam Tillis for his comments.
“No…. we are the essential workers that were forced to go to work. We pulled the food, slaughtered the animals, packaged the food that fed America. They did it at barely minimum wage and went back home to big families under one roof bc that is all they could afford.”
In a follow-up tweet, Gallego doubled down on his comments saying, “I know because I did it. Senator Tillis could never do one full shift at a meat packing factory. Respect the people that feed America.”
Spokesman for Tillis, Andrew Romeo, responded to a CNN request for comment by saying that the senator has “been clear that not enough North Carolinians of all backgrounds have been wearing masks and has consistently advocated that all his constituents do so.”
Romeo went on to say that the Hispanic community “faces significant challenges, including multi-generational households that make it tougher to social distance, and the increased exposure risk for essential workers on the frontlines who are keeping our economy running. The government at all levels should assist the community in the fight to beat the virus and promote ways to keep residents safe and healthy, which is Senator Tillis’ priority.”
