"They aren't sending their best". Yes, your description of this is accurate.

News does this all the time to generate outrage, both left and right leaning, and I absolutely HATE it. Particularly in the Trump and "fake news" era because it leaves them incredibly vulnerable to the criticism. "See! The fake-news, always lying!". Makes it easy to discredit their larger, more serious reporting by picking on these smaller transgressions.

Do you appreciate the inevitable outcome of this sort of speech is that people, whether they are Mexican or not, whether they are legal immigrants or not, so long as they fit into some deranged category, will meet more violence in their day-to-day lives?

It's not racist because of the exact words said, it's racist because of the obvious consequences. There are ways to talk about difficult issues. Trump empowered the worst people to come out from hiding.

The hook, line, and sinker is when he said, "and some, I assume, are good people." It's tantamount to, "I'm not racist. I have a black friend."

> He never said all Mexicans are rapists etc, he was speaking about border security and describing the people illegally entering the country through the Southern Border.

He didn't say it, he insinuated it.

Is that really so different?

No he didn't. This is exactly the kind of straw-manning that your GP was talking about.

> They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.

Yes he did.

Did you read the quote you just posted? It says "And some, I assume, are good people." As in "not literally all of them are rapists".