Latino Voters And The Donald

By Felicia J. Persaud

News Americas, FORT LAUDERDALE, FL, Thurs. Mar. 28, 2024: Like many, including Congressman Vicente Gonzalez of Texas, I was floored recently by polls claiming that Donald Trumpeto’s standing with Latino voters has grown since his defeat in 2020.

Former US President Donald Trump arrives at 40 Wall Street after his court hearing to determine the date of his trial for allegedly covering up hush money payments linked to extramarital affairs in New York City on March 25, 2024. Trump faces twin legal crises today in New York, where he could see the possible seizure of his storied properties over a massive fine as he separately fights to delay a criminal trial even further. (Photo by Charly TRIBALLEAU / AFP) (Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images)

Not that I give a lot of credence to polls since the Hillary Clinton loss, but according to the New York Times, surveys “find him winning more than 40 percent of those voters  – a level not seen for a Republican in two decades.”

Appalling considering the xenophobia Trumpy continues to spew and the fact that many Latino immigrants have been the ones who will faced the brunt of his draconian policies during his four year reign of terror and will continue to be should he – God forbid – win again.

Congressman Gonzalez’s comparison of Latino support for Trump to “Jews for Hitler” highlights the irony. It prompts the question: have these voters forgotten the hardships of the Trump era, or do they prioritize their American citizenship over the plight of fellow immigrants?

From the Muslim and Africa bans, to mainly Latino family separations at the border and children in cages, to the systematic dismantling of our legal immigration and refugee systems, to the targeting of immigrants in their homes, schools, and workplaces — the Trump record on immigration still gives me nightmares.

Now he is running for re-election, and terrifyingly, his rhetoric and immigration agenda is even scarier than what we saw last time.

Trump has repeatedly employed Nazi language, saying immigrants are “poisoning the blood of the country.” Are Latino voters really ok with this?

Trump has said he would be a “dictator” on day one to enact his extreme immigration agenda and has promised to deploy the military on US soil to conduct “the largest deportation effort in US history,” which reports say will likely ensnare US citizens.

One version of Trump’s plan is called “Project 2025,” and the Niskanen Center described it as a “meticulously orchestrated, comprehensive plan to drive immigration levels to unprecedented lows…specifically engineered to dismantle the foundations of our immigration system.”

Here’s what it entails according to America’s Voice:

Launching a private “red-state army” to conduct mass deportations.

Blocking federal financial aid to everyone in states that allow Dreamers to access in-state tuition.

Terminating DACA status for Dreamers.

Using backlogs to halt application intake for legal immigrants.

Suspending updates for H-2A and H-2B temporary worker visas.

Barring US citizens from qualifying for federal housing subsidies if they live with undocumented immigrants.

Forcing states to share driver’s license databases and other identifying information.

Trump is also planning to bring anti-immigrant extremists and fascists, Stephen Miller and Ken Cuccinelli back to the White House in a second term, according to the Washington Post, which noted that Trump and his aides would be “more effective in operating the levers of the federal bureaucracy and less vulnerable to internal resistance.”

Can Latino voters really support this agenda or have they gone mad? I have to believe that the polls are fake news and like Trump’s so called “black base,” a figment of his imagination generated by AI.

Let us pray! The prospect of Trump’s return, is like a re-birth of Hitler and Mussolini combined. It is an outcome we must collectively work to prevent in 2024, not just for immigrants, but for all America.

Felicia J. Persaud is the publisher of NewsAmericasNow.com, a daily news outlet focusing on Black immigrant issues.