Ecuadorians, including those living in the U.S., overwhelmingly prefer Clinton

Mirroring other international polling results, Ecuadorians prefer Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump in the U.S. presidential election by a wide margin. According to a University of San Francisco-Quito poll, 82% of Ecuadorians prefer Clinton while only 11% favor Trump.

Hillary Clinton with Rafael Correa in 2010 Quito visit.

Among Ecuadorians living in the U.S., the preference for Clinton is even higher, at 85%, according to a poll conducted earlier this month by Radio Impacto2 in New York. There are between one and 1.5 million Ecuadorian nationals living in the U.S., according to a 2015 United Nations international migration report.

U.S. presidential poll preferences of Ecuadorians are in line with those from other countries. A late-June poll conducted by the London-based Guardian newspaper showed that Europeans favored Clinton 79% to 13% over Trump.

When asked why they prefer Clinton, Ecuadorian respondents to both polls cited Trump’s plans to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border and to expel millions of illegal immigrants. When asked about the trustworthiness of the candidates, most said that corruption charges against both candidates was simply “politics as usual.”

Jorge Ramos, a Cuenca native living in Queens, New York, said that Clinton would be much better for foreigners living in the U.S. “She understands the issues, Trump does not,” he said. “All the talk about her emails is a distraction. In terms of corruption, Trump is probably the most corrupt person to ever run for president. The guy is a complete joke.”