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Brother Backs Judge Criticized by Trump: 'He's a Very Good Role Model'

Raul Curiel spoke to Telemundo outside his home in Indiana and told reporters his brother was a "very good role model."
Image: Trump and Judge Gonzalo Curiel
Trump and Judge Gonzalo CurielReuters; US District Court Southern District of California

The brother of the federal judge presiding over the Trump University case who has been referred to by Trump as being "Mexican" and "hostile" spoke to Telemundo reporters outside his home in Hammond, Indiana. Raul Curiel said his brother was a "very good role model," and said the controversy shows that despite criticism, Latinos "are here to stay."

Raul Curiel spoke to reporters in both English and Spanish. When asked about all the "attention" surrounding his brother, Judge Gonzalo Curiel, he said that Latinos are "seeing Trump the way he is, and my brother the way he is, born of immigrant parents, doing well in high school, college, law school and being pretty much a success story."

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Raul Curiel spoke mostly of the family's fear when his brother had to go into hiding after threats from a Mexican drug cartel following a court case. He said the family was "worried about it at the time that we heard about the death threats."

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He said his brother explained he had to go to Washington, D.C. "until things calmed down and settled down." Though the family thought it was a scary situation, Raul Curiel said that he thought his brother was "in good hands" and that the government would do a good job of protecting him.

When asked about the national attention surrounding his brother, he said it showed that "Hispanics are strong here and we have a voice."

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