Lawrence, Mass., is a town of 89,000 people located about 30 miles north of Boston near the New Hampshire state line.
In 2000, its population was 60% Hispanic. Twenty years later the city reported that 82% of its residents were Hispanic.
Mayor Brian DePena left his native Dominican Republican in the early 80s. More than 40 years later he still struggles with English and uses a translator.
A campaign website bio, one noted for poor use of written English, says DePena moved from New York to Lawrence in 1989.
Having worked in construction and building maintenance in New York, he opened a “Latino hardware store” in the city’s downtown.
His political career began with back-to-back terms as city councilor at-large, the first in 2015.
Brian Camenker is president of MassResistance.
"It's insane that you have a mayor of a town that can't speak English properly and just like blew in here from some foreign country. But that's the electorate, and I'm sure that a large proportion of that electorate is illegal aliens. I would say maybe a third, and naturally they're going to vote for some leftist Democrat who they don't care if he speaks English or not. Plus, he probably helps get them free money."
Camenker doesn't think this story surprises anyone in Massachusetts.
"Lawrence is like this garbage dump of a town. I've lived here 45 years. I've never bothered to go there because nobody goes there. So, the fact that they have a guy that can't speak English. I mean, it surprises people outside of Massachusetts. That's like that guy in New York it was just at least he knows English but he like came from what Uganda or some stupid place like that. That's what it's like here."
