Miss USA Latina Contestants Won't Quit Pageant Despite Donald Trump's Comments

Miss USA is happening after all! After Donald Trump publicly offended Mexicans and Latinos in the U.S. by calling them “rapists” and saying they are “people that have lots of problems,” the real estate tycoon started facing some trouble with his business relationships.

Trump’s continuous rants against México caused celebrities and networks to cut ties with “The Apprentice” star, which had everyone wondering about the future of Miss USA. The beauty pageant, partly owned by Trump enterprises, was set to air on UniMás on July 12 but after finding out about the offensive comments made by the Presidential Candidate, they decided to “dump the Trump.”

Despite all the commotion, the Miss USA pageant will still take place at 7 p.m. Sunday at the Baton Rouge River Center. Jackie Shahinian, Miss USA spokeswoman, confirmed that the pageant will stream on the Miss USA website in addition to being broadcasted on the Reelz channel. Reelz rescued the Miss USA pageant last week after NBC and Univision dropped their broadcasts.

In addition, the 8 Latinas competing for the Miss USA title, Natasha Alexis Martínez, Candice Marie Bennatt, Brittany McGowan, Thatiana Díaz, Anea García, Ylianna Guerra, Andrea Mucino and Alexis Railsback, will still be attending the ceremony. With some of the Latina Beauty Queens announcing they will not be participating in the Miss Universe pageant, a lot of us were wondering if the same was going to happen to Miss USA, but that is not the case.

Miss California Natasha Alexis Martínez, who is Mexican and Nicaraguan, told Latina: “Not once did I think of backing out of the competition. I don't see a better way of representing the Latina community than by standing up, staring them in the face and proving them wrong: this is my story, this is what I’ve been able to do, these are my successes, these are my failures.”

Miss Texas Ylianna Guerra, also Mexican, mentioned that “It is disappointing, but he does have the right of free speech – that’s the First Amendment. But the pageant has continued despite the controversy.” Ylianna also has a message for Trump: “The people that come to this country are hard-working people. They come here to make a better life for their family.”