A veteran — and congressman — who’s been told to “go back to Mexico.”

“They want to basically delegitimize you as an American citizen.”

Ruben Gallego is no stranger to adversity. At 37, he’s one of the youngest members of the House — and one of the few Latinos in either chamber of Congress.

Gallego joined the Marines in 2005 and was deployed to Iraq with Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 25h Marine Regiment. He lost his best friend in combat to an improvised explosive device, and has been a tireless advocate for veterans ever since.

Gallego was especially moved by the story of Captain Humayun Khan, a Muslim-American who was killed in action in Iraq in 2004 while protecting his fellow soldiers. When Donald Trump attacked Captain Khan’s parents for speaking out at the Democratic convention, it hit home.

Gallego is also no stranger to having his patriotism questioned. We caught up with the Congressman and asked him to share his thoughts on Khizr Khan and Ghazala Khan, the parents of army Captain Humayun Khan.

What did you think about Donald Trump’s comments about the Khan family?

You know, I served my country in the Marines. I was infantry, I enlisted, I served in the civil government private sector, and still, once in awhile, my patriotism is questioned.

I will get told to “go back to Mexico,” and [my heritage] is Colombian and Mexican.

From my experience, what happened with SB-1070 in Arizona … it really devolved quickly. People would randomly stop Latino-looking people in malls and tell them to “go back to your country.” And these are Latino families that have been living in Arizona for more than 100 years.

Do you have any advice for people who are concerned about increasingly hateful rhetoric?

[Those who discriminate] would love nothing more than for you to become so cynical that you actually opt yourself out of society, whether it’s by [not] voting, or becoming what they actually think you are. … They want to basically delegitimize you as an American citizen. When you actually fold, you play right into their hands. So for me, I was always pushing back by trying to be better, stronger, and by helping other people in the process of becoming better and stronger. …

The best thing to do is to really push back politically and do it in a manner that reflects American values more than anything else.

The positive things I have seen from the comments on Judge Curiel and the Khan family, you see the best of America coming out. And I think for people that are involved and want to push back against Trump. We need to make sure we are adding our voice to that.

What do you do when you face discrimination?

Whenever I [hear discrimination] I call it right out. Because you can’t allow [people who discriminate] to think that this is normal. You can’t allow them to believe that they could somehow nuance this. … So I am very much of the belief that, when you see it, call it out right away because you need to set down the marker of what’s acceptable human behavior and what’s not.

Congressman Gallego represents Arizona’s 7th district.