My heart broke after interviewing this counter-protesting Trump Latina at a John Culberson protest.
Trump Latina proves an important point
Texas Congressman John Culberson visited his district during the recess. Instead of meeting with the bulk of his constituents, he met with a Republican women’s group at Houston’s Lakeside Country Club. A large number of his constituents protested at the entrance gates of the country club. A few Culberson and Trump supporters showed up as well including a Latina that gave me pause.
“One finds it difficult to understand why any Latino or Latina would support Donald Trump,” I proffered to this Trump Latina. “Why don’t you explain in your words why you think it is okay to have Mr. Trump.”
“That is common sense,” she responded. “He wants to protect us U.S. citizens from the bad illegal immigrants. Plain and simple.”
“Now let me ask you this way,” I continued. “I think every American, I believe, wants a safe country. But do you really want folks who came over here for economic reasons, they did the best they could, but they came over here for economic reasons, to be deported?”
“The bottom line is there is nothing wrong with them coming over here,” she replied. “Just do it legally.”
My blood began to boil. You see, I know people who came over here illegally and found one of many ways to legalize their papers. Then they became punitive heartless Republicans, unlike Reagan and Bush who supported a humane immigration policy.
“Let me ask you a follow-up question,” I said. “Did the original settlers of America come over here legally? In other words, what the original settlers in America did is they came here. And they decided that this was a good place, and they did what was necessary to stay here. They conquered the land. Los Mexicanos que estan viniendo aqui. The Mexicans that are coming over here and the Hondureños and all the others that are coming over here, they are not coming to conquer. They are coming to work. Do you understand the difference between the two types of migrations?
“Well, I understand that,” she said. “But there are bylaws. And they are already set. Regardless I don’t know how far back it was set for the laws that take place today.”
Her lack of empathy and her inability to understand that our empathy must be a part of our atonement with regards to the undocumented immigrants. I decided to cut the interview short our of disgust.
Progressives cannot depend on the demographic shift in states like Texas as the sole barometer for victory. I have run across far too many Latinos here who are more Republican than most Republicans. We must all understand the pathology.