The latin swing to Trump is a little dumbfounding. I have read scads of hispanic commentators trying to break down the portent of his gains with latinos in the recent economy. Democrats take them for granted, they share cultural conservatism with the GOP, they are not monolithic, Trump is better for the economy, his masculine image appealed to latin machismo, etc.
I am sure that many of these issues are responsible. But I thought that his announced intention to deport 10 million undocumented people in this country would be a deal killer.
I was wrong.
And I find the attitude of many Latinos on the subject a bit bewildering.
Cesar Espinosa, a leader in Houston’s Hispanic community, said he’s had many calls and messages from worried people since Trump won reelection early Wednesday.
“We can feel the sense of uncertainty from a lot of people. A lot of people are asking, ‘What happens now? What do we do?’” he said.
Some are in so-called mixed status families made up of US citizens and undocumented immigrants. And the fear is that non citizens will be targeted immediately, said Espinosa, who is a legal permanent resident, or “green card” holder.
He says he tries to calm fears by saying that mass deportations, particularly of non-criminals, will take time. Meanwhile, he keeps count of the time when he can apply for US naturalization, still more than two years away.
Espinosa said machismo among Latino men may have contributed to support for Trump.
“Unfortunately, a lot of people in the Latino community have bought into the rhetoric of being anti-immigrant, even the immigrants themselves,” he said.
There's the rub, the last sentence. People that are immigrants who are also anti-immigrant may be in for a rude awakening. Because when people tell you what they are going to do, it makes sense to believe them.
Call me old fashioned, but Hitler called out the final solution in his book a mere ninety years ago and ultimately did exactly what he said he was going to do.
It is amazing how many latino immigrants don't realize that they are coming not just for the criminals, but maybe for their grandmothers who have been inculcated into the American landscape for the last forty years or so.
Talk about wishful thinking. Now I have always been for strong borders but also for fixing a very broken immigration system. Employers need labor in this country and we are facing a crisis. This will be devastating, for America and for our economy.
I was reading about a district in Florida with approximately 200,000 undocumented residents that went heavily for Trump. The woman who was quoted was sure that he would only target the "bad" people.
Perhaps they are right. Resources are scarce for a full scale purge and they will certainly go after the gangbangers first. But then?
Tom Homan, the ex cop who has attended white supremacist meetings and will be running the show, says that after the bad apples are deported he will be coming after the rest of them. And that they should get their effects together now and self deport if they know what is good for them.
“But for those others, the non-criminals, you wanna self deport I’m all for it,” Homan said. “Because when they self-report they can put everything in order, their family business that they got, homes, or whatever. They can put all that in order and leave with their family all together. It makes perfect sense for the ones that are not criminals.”
Homan is prepping up for workplace raids. He wants the military to help him.
Homan, an early proponent of the “zero tolerance” policy that separated more than 4,000 children from their parents in the first Trump administration, said he will prioritize “public safety threats and national security threats” for deportation as border czar.
But Homan said foreign nationals with orders of deportation “became a fugitive,” suggesting immigrants without criminal records but with final orders of deportation would be high on the list of deportation priorities.
With Homan, Noem, Gaetz and Gabbard at the helm, I shudder at what the future portends.
But it is not like we were not warned.
I am sort of ambivalent about everything now. I believe in America and I believe in democracy and the people have spoken. They will get what they deserve. They chose to believe a man who thinks that more drilling and less renewables will make our air and water cleaner. A man who wants to get rid of the Department of Education and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and will hamstring the ballte against climate change.
The hispanics who flocked to Trump and believed and voted for him should not expect much sympathy from the rest of us when they see what it brings them in the future.
You made your bed.
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