Univision Cuts Ties with Miss Universe Organization Over Donald Trump’s Racist Remarks

By Cheri Cheng - 25 Jun '15 15:14PM

Donald Trump's racist and anti-immigrant comments that he made during his presidential bid continue to hurt him.

Univision announced Thursday that it will be cutting ties with the Miss Universe Organization, which Trump owns, because of his "insulting remarks about Mexican immigrants." The Miss Universe Organization includes the Miss USA, Miss Teen USA and Miss Universe pageants.

"At Univision, we see first-hand the work ethic, love for family, strong religious values and the important role Mexican immigrants and Mexican-Americans have had and will continue to have in building the future of our country," Univision said in a statement.

Univision will no longer be airing anything projects tied to Trump, which includes the upcoming Miss USA pageant, which takes place on July 12. The network noted that its news divisions will still cover the presidential campaign, which Trump is a part of.

During Trump's announcement for the presidential bid, he was heavily criticized for comparing Mexican immigrants to rapists and drug dealers.

"The U.S. has become a dumping ground for everybody else's problems...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.

Before Univision announced that it was ending its business relationship with the Miss Universe Organization, Latin performer J Balvin canceled his appearance for Miss USA over these remarks.

"It was going to be my first performance on national [mainstream] television," Balvin told Billboard. "But we're talking about our roots, our culture, our values. This isn't about being punitive, but about showing leadership through social responsibility. His comments weren't just about Mexicans, but about all Latins in general."

The 2014 Miss Universe winner was Paulina Vega from Columbia.