Sebastien de la Cruz sings the national anthem before a Democratic Party presidential candidate debate on March 9, 2016. (screenshot)
The return of 15-year-old Sebastien de la Cruz -- aka El Charro de Oro -- to national television on Wednesday brought with it another round of criticism from Twitter users apparently stunned to discover the existence of Mexican-Americans.
De la Cruz sang the national anthem prior to the debate between Democratic Party presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). Some of the worst reactions can be seen below:
As CNN reported at the time, de la Cruz was hit with similar invective in 2013, when he sang the anthem -- in full Charro regalia -- before the third game of the NBA Finals, with some describing the San Antonio native as an "illegal alien."
"For those that said something bad about me, I understand it's your opinion," he said at the time. "I'm a proud American and live in a free country. It's not hurting me. It's just your opinion."
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