TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) -- Presidential frontrunner Donald Trump is set to appear on "Saturday Night Live" this weekend, but more than half a million people want him pulled from the show, including Juan Escalante, a Florida State University graduate who's leading the movement.
"There's no room for Lorne Michaels, NBC or SNL to give any sort of portrayal of Donald Trump or anything that he says throughout his campaign and pass it off as comedy," Escalante told WTXL in a Skype interview from his Manhattan hotel room.
Trump is the only presidential candidate scheduled so far to host the show this season.
What started as an online campaign called "Racism Isn't Funny" became a physical one, as Escalante headed to New York with the thousands of signatures printed out in a box, which he personally delivered to the network in New York.
"I think it's very shameful for the network to prioritize their ratings ahead of people," Escalante said.
The call to dump Trump comes after his comments on Latinos and immigration.
"When Donald Trump says that immigrants, in his mind, are rapists, murderers, or drug dealers, he's not joking about that," Escalante said.
Escalante has been an undocumented immigrant for almost 10 years, but he says his status hasn't stopped him from pursuing his goals. He earned his bachelor's and master's degrees from FSU. He says others with legal status like him defy what Trump says about them.
"All they want to do is work hard and have a shot at the American dream - to continue to contribute to this country," Escalante said.
He says NBC has an obligation to keep Trump out of all programming. He encourages others to boycott the show this weekend.
As of Thursday afternoon, Escalante said he hasn't heard from NBC since delivering the petition signatures Wednesday.
There's a rally planned Saturday in New York, calling for the network to pull Trump from the show.
