DELAWARE - Bobby Williamson, one of the Republican candidates for governor of Delaware, referred to immigrants as "nomads" and "thugs" during a gubernatorial debate at the Dover Public Library, drawing sharp criticism from the community.
The debate, sponsored by the Delaware Journalism Collaborative, featured questions from a panel of three journalists, including José Ignacio Castañeda Pérez. Pérez asked the candidates, "Delaware has seen a noticeable uptick of immigration from Haiti and Latin America in recent years, with immigrants enhancing the state's economy and diversity. Legislation to establish the Office of New Americans was introduced last May but did not make it out of committee. What would your administration propose to ensure newly arrived Delawareans are supported in the First State, and how would your administration be responsive to immigrant needs in Delaware?"
In response, Williamson commented, "It's not safe in certain parts of Seaford because of the new influx of nomads." He went on to say, "We have this Haitian expansion, and there are some great people in that community, but there are also thugs, there are also gangs. They are shooting and killing and, hurting young kids by bullets running through the community. To say that immigrants are making things safer is such a wrong thing to say. We are scared to go behind Walmart in Seaford because of what could happen to us." Williamson continued, "There are certain gangs that are thriving on this basis. They have come in with the immigrants, and they have intruded into our peaceful way of living."
Rony Baltazar-López, vice chair of the Delaware Hispanic Commission, says Williamson's comments contribute to stereotypes.
"As the son of immigrants and the vice chair of the Delaware Hispanic Commission, I find it distasteful, at minimum, at worst, racist, the comments made by the Republican candidate for governor. I think, if anything, we should be empowering our communities across the state," Baltazar-López said.
Mari Ward, originally from Colombia and present in the front row at the debate, shared her reaction.
"First, it was a surprise. Everybody was like [gasp] and then was silent, and... I was very sad. I was very sad and offended because I know how hard every single immigrant works, and for somebody to express about us, immigrants, like that is very sad," Ward said.
Duvanel Louis, who moved to the U.S. from Haiti almost 30 years ago, says the comments made by Williamson were unfortunate.
"Delaware is a small state, very unique, very diverse. Now, if you want to be in office and you have a diverse population and you are saying those types of things, then I don't think it's going to work," Louis said.
CoastTV News reached out to Williamson multiple times over several days, but he declined to comment.
