Latino Connection Georgia Pabst tracks the Latino community in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and beyond. SHARE

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Kentucky Republican U. S. Sen. Rand Paul is in Milwaukee today to talk at a Hispanics for School Choice event at St. Anthony's and some Latino leaders are criticizing the visit by the possible presidential candidate, particularily because of his views on immigration.

State Rep. JoCasta Zamarripa, a southside Democrat and a graduate of St. Anthony's said in a statement Wednesday morning:

"While I support the students, administrators, and families that send their children to St. Anthony's, I cannot stand on the sidelines today as some in our community welcome U. S. Senator Rand Paul to the area. Senator Paul has been an outspoken critic of our nation's immigrant communities, and has used incredibly cruel rhetoric when discussing those most affected by our country's broken immigration system.

"As an alumna of St. Anthony's I am disappointed that Senator Paul was invited to speak at a roundtable discussion today. I hope community members use Senator Paul's visit as an opportunity to educate themselves on his radical viewpoints on so many legilsataive issues, especially immigration reform."

She noted that he voted against the comprehensive immigration reform bill when it passed the Senate last summer.

She also criticized statements he's made saying that children born in the U. S. to udocumented immigrants should be refused citizenship rights.

Zamarripa is one of two Latinas in the state legislature. State Rep. Jessie Rodriguez, a Republican from Franklin, has been active in Hispanics for School Choice.

Tony Baez, the president and CEO of Centro Hispano and a long time Latino activist, called Paul's visit "offensive", also citing his views on immigrants.

"Rand Paul, elected into office with the push of billionaires and the Tea Party, is definitely among this party's most extreme and insensitive members," he wrote.

"We have stood by to see the growth of vouchers in the Latino community and Latinos for Choice, but we can not allow insults and the manipulation of poor and working class Latinos," he said.

His visit must not be treated as "an expression of 'another' point of view in the Latino community," he said. "The manipulation of Latinos in this day and age cannot be allowed."