BOSTON -- The Mexican government condemned an attack on a sleeping homeless man that police said was committed by two brothers, one of whom said that Donald Trump was right about deporting "all these illegals."
The brothers urinated on the 58-year-old man, punched him and beat him with a metal pole while he slept near a Boston train station, police said.
Daniel Hernandez Joseph, the consul general of Mexico in Boston, confirmed the victim was a Mexican citizen. He said his government would "take the necessary measures to defend the rights and interests of Mexicans," .
The brothers, Scott Leader and Steve Leader, were being held without bail on charges including assault and indecent exposure. They pleaded not guilty.
Witnesses flagged down a state trooper at about 12:30 a.m. Wednesday after they saw the attack and then saw the Leaders walk away laughing, prosecutors said. The victim was treated for a broken nose, serious bruises and other injuries.
Scott Leader told troopers after his arrest, "Donald Trump was right, all these illegals need to be deported," according to a state police report filed in court.
Trump, a Republican presidential candidate, has inflamed Latinos by describing Mexican immigrants as "criminals" and "rapists" and saying he would build a wall between the United States and Mexico to crack down on illegal immigration. He recently said he would deport the millions of people already in the United States illegally, sort them into groups of "good ones" and "bad ones" and then allow those deemed good to re-enter the country.
Asked about the homeless man's beating before a New Hampshire town hall on Wednesday night, he said he hadn't heard about it.
"I think that would be a shame," he said, but declined to condemn the attack. "I will say, the people that are following me are very passionate. They love this country. They want this country to be great again. And they are very passionate."
He took a harder-line approach on Friday.
"Boston incident is terrible. We need energy and passion, but we must treat each other with respect," Trump tweeted Friday afternoon. "I would never condone violence."
Attorneys who appeared with the brothers for their arraignment couldn't immediately be reached for comment.
Mexican officials said they would follow the investigation "very closely" to ensure that those responsible are held accountable.
Court records show Scott Leader served a year in prison for a hate crime against a Moroccan coffee shop worker after the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, the Globe said.
