AGAINST HATE : '' LATINO - U.S. CELEBRITIES - LEEWAY ''

LATINO celebrities in U.S. issue plea to ''speak out loudly against hate.''

Actresses Eva Longoria, America Fertara and more than 200 other Latino artists and civil rights leaders on Friday last, penned a letter of support to the Latino community in the United States after a mass shooting in Texas and immigration raids on Mississippi.

Musicians Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin and Lin-Manuel Miranda gave their backing to the letter, which called on those outside the Latino community to ''speak out loudly against hate.''

''If you are feeling terrified, heartbroken and defeated by the barrage of attacks on our community, you are not alone,'' said the letter, addressed to the Querida Familia Latina [Dear Latino Family] and published in the New York Times, La Opinion and other newspapers. [Agencies]