LatinaLista — While Spanish may be considered the one unifier among all Latinos, it will be politics, now more than ever, that will divide the Latino electorate.
This became painfully obvious before and during the Republican presidential candidate forum on Univision.
Prior to the forum, Republican candidates such as Mitt Romney played up to the traditionally Republican Cuban-American community by saying, “I can tell you my inclination would be to say as many Cubans as want to come here should come in.”
Cubans illegally arrive on US sand.
(Source: BBC)
A stark contrast to demanding “other” Latino immigrants, who arrive illegally, be deported as soon as they’re caught.
During the forum, each of the candidates, with the exception of Ron Paul, further courted Cuban-Americans by denouncing Castro and speaking against normalizing any kind of relationship with him.
Yet, when it came to the “other” immigrants, namely Mexican and other South American immigrants who arrive by way of the Rio Grande/Bravo or the Arizona desert or any other point along the southern border, the hard stance we’ve come to expect from the Republican candidates return in all its fury.
As the Republican Party sees it, there are two kinds of Latinos with two distinct points of illegal entry into the United States — one is to be forgiven; the other is to be crucified.
The trouble is, that in an ironic twist of fate, the case between illegally-arrived Cubans and Mexicans, Guatemalans, Hondurans, etc. will be a lot harder to make because Cubans are foregoing their usual method of entering the country – by boat or floating in shark infested waters – and are opting to follow the less salty lead of their Central and South American hermanos.
The US Customs and Border Protection reports that nearly 90 percent of all undocumented Cubans who make it into the United States travel by land, rather than water.
Point of entry? Through Mexico.
In fact, Mexico is having a heck of a time with violent smuggling rings responsible for this new trend with Cuban immigrants.
But what makes this really newsworthy is that these smuggling rings are being financed by the very demographic Republicans are openly courting — Cuban Americans.
“This has been legally proved, that people of Cuban origin but who are citizens of the United States are involved, financing these people-smuggling operations, obviously with the complicity of Mexicans,” Mexican attorney general Eduardo Medina Mora said.
“This has to do with U.S. policy toward Cubans,” he said. “Those who make it to (U.S.) territory by their own means can get automatic refugee status, so that policy serves as an incentive” to smuggle Cubans here.
Under the so-called “wet foot, dry foot” policy, the U.S. turns back Cubans intercepted on the seas but grants asylum to most who make it to shore. To avoid capture by U.S. authorities before making it to land, many Cubans decide to go through Mexico.
Cubans are choosing to steer their boats to the Yucatan Peninsula which is only 130 miles away from the island nation and just a tad farther than Florida.
The capture of undocumented Cubans is overwhelming Mexico’s immigrant detention centers where it’s standard practice to hold people who illegally arrive in the country for 90 days at these centers. Afterwards, most of them are released with only one-third repatriated back to Cuba.
Yet, because of this lucrative smuggling ring, violent gang-style murders have resulted — on top of all the other violent gang-style murders the country is enduring because of the drug cartel violence — courtesy of American financiers.
But the lucky Cubans who can make it out of Mexico join the thousands of other undocumented whose goal is to sneak across the border and make it to home-base before being caught.
With Cubans now entering our southern border with the rest of our southern neighbors, it wouldn’t seem to be as easy to justify their illegal entry and not that of the others too.
After all, each group faced the same risks, hardships and challenges in crossing the border.
Each group fled an economy that was failing them and their families.
Each group wants to live in the kind of freedom that allows them to create a sustainable future.
Each group speaks Spanish.
Each group is on the political radar .
The only difference is Cuban Americans can deliver something Mexicans nor any other Latino sub group can — enough votes for a Republican win.
It’s reported that Florida’s 300,000 Cuban Americans make up 10 percent of the votes in a GOP primary. Since Cuban Americans tend to vote in blocs then it makes sense that Republicans would be courting Cuban Americans.
It just doesn’t make sense that Republicans would be caught lying in bed with some who are fueling the one issue Republicans would use to divide Latinos.
Comment(30)
Frank
You are kind of comparing apples to oranges here. The Cubans are under a dictatorship. Mexicans live in a democracy.
However, I think it is high time we stop taking in immigrants in any form that only benefits them and not us and put an end to illegal immigration also. The poem on the Statue of Liberty is being used as blackmail for Americans to take in immigrants in endless numbers. We can no longer do that. This is not 1920 whereby we had a vast, unpopulated frontier. Today we have 300 million people in our country. Enough is enough. Time we got back to a sensible immigration policy and enforce our immigration laws against anyone who hasn’t come with papers.
Evelyn
Regarding, “Immigrants in any form that only benefit them and not us”
If “them” refers to immigrants, and “us” refers to the American people, please provide the link that substantiates your statement, otherwise it will be taken as your opinion and we all know your opinion is that of a racist.
EYES OF TEXAS
Us and them mean exactly what it implies and apparently you’re one of them. If securing the borders, enforcing the laws and speaking English is considered racist in your view, then tag me as such. The majority of American citizens support all the forementioned things. If calling everyone a racist that doesn’t support your narrow minded view of illegal immigration, you have tagged 85% of the nation. When you don’t have a legitimate argument to counter someone elses views you can alway find your race card.
Evelyn
The following is an article by an unbiased credible institution that provides information based on studies of Immigrants.
I will provide the link below.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Undocumented immigrants contribute to the U.S. economy not only through the labor they provide, but through the taxes they pay. Between one half and three quarters of undocumented immigrants pay federal and state income taxes, Social Security taxes, and Medicare taxes. And all undocumented immigrants pay sales taxes (when they buy anything at the store, for instance) and property taxes (even if they are renting).
The Social Security Administration (SSA) has concluded that undocumented immigrants “account for a major portion” of the billions of dollars paid into the Social Security system under names or social securities numbers that don’t match SSA records; payments from which immigrants cannot benefit while Undocumented. As of October 2005, the reported earnings on which these payments are based–which are tracked through the SSa’s Earnings Suspense File–totaled $520 billion.
A 2006 study by Texas State Comptroller found that “the absence of the estimated 1.4 million undocumented immigrants in Texas in fiscal 2005 would have been a loss to our gross state product of $17.7 billion. Undocumented immigrants produce $1.58 billion in state revenues, which exceeded the $1.16 billion in services they receive.
Rather than draining state resources, undocumented immigrants are in some cases subsidizing services that only documented residents can access.
The consumer purchasing power of undocumented immigrants–what they spend on goods, services, and housing–not only creates new jobs, but also provides federal, state, and local gov. with additional revenue through sales, income, business, and property taxes. In other words, spending by undocumented immigrants has an economic “multiplier effect.”
For instance, a 2002 study by the Center for Urban Economic Development at the University of Chicago found that undocumented immigrants in the Chicago metropolitan ares alone spent $2.89 billion in 2001. These expenditures stimulated “an additional $2.56 billion in local spending,” for a total of $5.45 billion in additional spending, or 1.5% of the Gross regional Product. This spending, in turn, sustained 31,908 jobs in the local economy.
http://www.ailf.org/ipc/factchecks/Undocumantedas Taxpayer.pdf
Horace
“As the Republican Party sees it, there are two kinds of Latinos with two distinct points of illegal entry into the United States — one is to be forgiven; the other is to be crucified.”
Marisa, this is exactly the kind or incendiary exaggerative hyperbole that destroys the credibility of you and other advocates. If you can’t have your way, demonize the opposition by invoking immages of Christ on the cross, implying that deportation is equivalent to the Messiah’s sacrifice and that the Republicans are the pounding the nails in.
Let’s put this issue in perspective. These illegal aliens are being sent to their homelands, not being butchered. Latin Americans have large families and most of these illegal aliens have friends and family back home to turn to, so most will not be destitute and living in the streets as you are wont to disingenuously claim. I suggest that you advocates exaggerate the plight of these people just to serve your objectives; open borders and the destruction of our immigration laws. I also suggest that with the coming mass migration, Mexico will be forced to deal with the socioeconomic issues that cause this shameful situation. I also suggest that citizen Latinos are so macho that they’re willing to blame this country rather than a Latin America, fearing that their culture would be criticized. Time for some Hispanic introspection on the real cause of the plight of Mexicans and Latin Americans, their propensity to choose poor governments.
Let’s make a pact. I won’t call illegal aliens invaders if you’ll stop abusing our civil servants and police for doing the job the citizens paid them to for enforcing our laws. Demonizing them will not change a thing. This is a political issue, not enforcement issue.
Evelyn
EYES of Frank
Are you frank? Na your too ignorant to be Frank. He would never send anyone to a link with racist ties.
I also support border security, I also think everyone should learn English, just like they are doing now.
And I would also support enforcing the law if it would do any good. Secure the northern border, that is where terrorists have tried, and will try to come in. Immigrants from the south wont come in if they are not given a job. The real ID act would fix that. If they don’t have the ID, they don’t get hired.
I don’t think the immigrants already here should be starved out.
And I don’t support the barbaric, brutal, terroristic raids, I think this country is better than that. We are already on too many lists with other barbaric countries.
It is our own fault the Immigrants are here, we let them in by choosing to look the other way. This country is big enough to keep them working, like they are now. It doesnt end at the edge of your town.
Here is a link of 23 polls done in different parts of the U.S. by different news agencies, and institutions of higher learning. Everyone of them shows that the majority of Americans support a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.
http://www.immigrationforum.org/documants/PressRoom/PublicOpinion/2007/PollingSummery0407.pdf
Frank
Evelyn, it is just my opinion but many Americans agree with me. What is racist about having a “sensible” immigration policy and enforcing our immigration laws? Can’t you debate with insults? You do the same thing in another forum. It is just plain childish.
Frank
I meant to say, “can’t you debate without insults.”
coach
My maternal grandfather was a Cuban-American and a WWII vet. (This was before Castro, duh.)That makes me a third generation American of Cuban descent on mami’s side…
I still get told to go back where I came from and to “speak English”. I got just as much right as anybody else to this country but I get othered on a regular basis and my “american-ness” called into question just like many other thousands of latinos in this country do on a daily basis.
The othering, the generalized venom spewed against latinos only further unifies me with a broad spectrum of latin-americans. I see us all from a pan-latin perspective whether you identify as chicana, boricua, colombiana or from Espan, and it affects the way I vote. If anything, the Franks and Horace’s of the world have made me one with the struggle of latinos from other places. Yo soy el mundo entero.
laura
“Frank” “Horace” etc., if so many Americans agreed with you, Represenattive Tancredo would not be retiring from the House of Representatives and would have a little more than 1% support in the polls. Actually, he would not not be dropping out of the presidential race.
If you and others had not voted for two terms of Bush, we would not be spending 10 billion dollars a month in Iraq for the past 4 1/2 years. The federal budget would be in the black, instead of the country having incredible debt that will burden our great-grandchildren.
Not that I have any love for or faith in most Democrats. But for people who voted for Bush to be blaming immigrants for this great country’s rapid decline is a sad and pathetic distortion.
And I repeat: if those gentlemen exerted themselves on behalf of their own lives, and maybe even on behalf of another human being, half as much as they exert themselves in hate posts, their lives would be on such a good track that they wouldn’t know what hate is.
Lastly: Marisa, please do not use the expression “sneaking across the border,” whether referring to Cubans or anyone else. In light of the facts, which are people risking their lives on an extremely dangerous and arduous voyage, that expression trivializes to a malicious extent what is happening to people. So many women get raped, so many men get hurt during this trip. This is not a hide-and-seek game.
EYES OF TEXAS
Not so strange of a phenomena. If you send someone in this pro-illegal immigrant group to a website that counters any of their pathetic rhetoric, the site and yourself are automatically branded as racist or a member of some hate group. The websites that they refer to are usually liberal minded organizations that support open borders and the plite of illegals in our country. No one here can find common ground or refer to a website that does not lean in one direction or the other. Those that are “sneaking across the border” are doing just that because they know they are breaking the law. Hide-and-seek, no. Hide-and-seek-and-deport, yes, because it is the undisputable law.
Milton Smith
LEGAL immigrants are embraced by both Republicans and Democrats. The problem is with ILLEGAL immigrants of any race. Why do latinos have a problem with enforcing current law dealing with ILLEGAL immigrants?
EYES OF TEXAS
Milt, they have a problem because they know, as we all do, that illegal aliens from our southern border is the main problem. They are trying to justify the illegal actions of themselves, family or friends. They don’t consider the damage and expense to the US that is caused by unchecked illegal immigration. They constantly scream racist at anyone that doesn’t support their views and demand that existing immigration laws not be enforced. The way I see it is, if you don’t respect our laws then you don’t respect our country. So leave, no one is stopping you.
Evelyn
Frank
When you spread lies to demonize Immigrants, especially Hispanics,
THAT IS AN INSULT.
Don’t want to get burned, don’t start a fire!
It is offensive to this country, and what it stands for, not to mention what it does to Immigrants, (brutal murder of 4 in Ohio Immigrants.)
Their you go again, Show me where I stated I was against a “SENSIBLE” Immigration policy.
I’m Just not willing to support anything to do with racism.
I am an American who believes that all Americans must respect, “JUSTICE AND EQUALITY FOR ALL”.
Frank
coach, that’s ok. White Americans are also being told to go back to Europe and that we are illegally here by Latinos. I think it a stretch of the truth that most Americans have that kind of view of legal Hispanic citizens. The problem is that far too many Hispanic citizens are siding with the illegals. They are giving themselves a bad name, not us.
laura, although Tancredo has the support of many loyal citizens, he didn’t have the support of the Republican party. That was his downfall, nothing else. Both parties are so busy pandering to Hispanics because of the illegal immigration issue, none would dare nominate an anti-illegal immigration candidate. He is retiring from the House to run for a seat in the Senate. Guess who he will go up against? “Salazar”. That is going to tick off a lot of pro-illegals. But in this case, he doesn’t need a nomination from his party, only public support.
Excuse me but I didn’t vote for Bush. There is that crystal ball again that the pro’s like to use to project false information on other members of this blog. I also oppose the Iraq war.
We have many problems to address in this country…the war, illegal immigration, healthcare,etc.
And excuse me again, but I do exert my compassion towards my fellow American citizens but not towards those who broke our immigration laws and thereby stealing identities, jobs and taxes from Americans.
If the illegals aren’t sneaking across our borders, then what are they doing to get here?
Evelyn
Trying to cloud the truth again, Eyes.
The websites I refer to are a collection of studies done by many orgs. and many Universities on immigrants.
You are the one that cannot find a credible study on immigrants that matches your views, because it doesnt exist.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rosa Parks broke the indisputable law that stated, blacks had to sit in the back of the bus.
The American revolution was fought by men and women who broke the indisputable laws of England and of King George 3rd. If breaking the law makes one a criminal than all of the Fore Fathers were criminals
Dread Scott and thousands of other slaves ran away stealing themselves from southern plantations, breaking an indisputable law in the process.
In the 1930tes there were hundreds of Jews who came to Americas shores aboard the ss St. Louis. Forced away under the guise of immigration laws, because of their RACE, many perished in Hitlers death camps. Had they defied immigration laws, and jumped ship in Miami harbor, those who turned them away would not be seen as criminals today.
Horace
“Frank” “Horace” etc., if so many Americans agreed with you, Represenattive Tancredo would not be retiring from the House of Representatives and would have a little more than 1% support in the polls. Actually, he would not not be dropping out of the presidential race.”
Tancredo never intended to be a real candidate for president. His intention was to bring illegal immigration to the fore as an issue in the presidential race, and you’ll have to admit it, he was very successful in doing so. Politics is evidently not a strong suit for you.
“If you and others had not voted for two terms of Bush, we would not be spending 10 billion dollars a month in Iraq for the past 4 1/2 years. The federal budget would be in the black, instead of the country having incredible debt that will burden our great-grandchildren.”
I have always loathed George Bush, so your assumption that I supported his candidacy is way off the mark. As I recall, he supported the recent inane Senate amnesty bill, so you should be his best friend.
“Not that I have any love for or faith in most Democrats. But for people who voted for Bush to be blaming immigrants for this great country’s rapid decline is a sad and pathetic distortion.”
Illegal aliens are not legally immigrants. Our country does not, and hopefully never will recognize them as anymore than gate crashing friends of the last gate crashers of the last amnesty in 1986.
“And I repeat: if those gentlemen exerted themselves on behalf of their own lives, and maybe even on behalf of another human being, half as much as they exert themselves in hate posts, their lives would be on such a good track that they wouldn’t know what hate is.”
Don’t repeat yourself, as you’re just saying the same annoyingly foolish claptrap over and over again. I’ve never said that I hate illegal aliens, anymore than I hate Asian Indians or Africans living in their homelands. I feel sorry for them, but I know that inviting millions of their illiterate and unskilled people will destroy this country. My issues with illegal aliens are economic in nature. The only person talking about hate here is YOU.
“Lastly: Marisa, please do not use the expression “sneaking across the border,” whether referring to Cubans or anyone else. In light of the facts, which are people risking their lives on an extremely dangerous and arduous voyage, that expression trivializes to a malicious extent what is happening to people. So many women get raped, so many men get hurt during this trip. This is not a hide-and-seek game.”
The use of the word “sneaking” is very approprate, as these people are entering this country by evading our authorities through concealment and without permission. Their personal reasons for entering illegally is irrelevant. You’re as silly girl Laura, as somehow you think that changing the description will somehow give more dignity and legitimacy to the act. I’m sorry if it offends, but I don’t mind offending illegal aliens and their friends if it means telling the truth. You can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s. Sneaky is as sneaky does.
Horace
“It is offensive to this country, and what it stands for, not to mention what it does to Immigrants, (brutal murder of 4 in Ohio Immigrants.)”
Evelyn, don’t make me go through the long list of citizens killed or injured by illegal alien child molesters, drunken drivers or gang members. And don’t try to allay my fears or outrage by telling me that I should accept such events as no more common than would occur within the general populace of citizens. That this group of 4 Ohio illegal aliens murders is anything more than an isolated case remains to be seen.
It seems to me that when citizens are killed by illegal aliens they don’t get near as much attention in this blog as the one case mentioned in this blog. They’re not humnan, just citizens?
Evelyn
Tancredos downfall was his stupidity in thinking he could win by supporting racism.
No one, Republicans or anyone supported him, except the minuteKLAN and the 2% of racists in this country.
Latinos whose ancestors are indigenous to these lands, are not the only people telling you Anglo-whites are the illegal aliens here. Are these people also giving themselves a bad name because they tell the truth, or is it just the Latinos?
http://www.immigrationforum.org/documents/PressRoom/PublicOpinion?2007/PollingSummary0407.pdf
Frank
Evelyn, so bringing up past law breakers or discrimination justifies the illegal immigration problem we have today? Rosa Parks was a citizen, not an illegal alien. I am opposed to all law breakers past, present and future. I am also opposed to discrimination. But having immigration laws and wanting them enforced is not discrimination. Nor is having immigration laws unjust.
It doesn’t matter whose ancestors roamed this land at one time. We are now a sovereign nation with borders and immigration laws. Anyone born here is a citizen. They are not illegal aliens. I find it hypocrital that the pro-illegals who are all in favor of birthright citizenhship for children of illegal aliens and yet they want to deny citizenship of those children born from Anglo-White citizen parents and tell them they are here illegally and that they and their parents should go back to Europe. By the way, why didn’t you mention Blacks, and Asians too? They don’t have to go back to Africa or Asia with your reasoning? Sounds like you are a white-hating racist only.
Wars have been fought and lands have exchanged hands thruout the history of this entire planet. We are no different. You got a beef with it, take it up with our government and stop your hatefulness towards White-Anglo citizens.
Frank
Oh and one more thing, Evelyn. Why should just White-Anglos go back to Europe? What about those White-Hispanic Spaniards?
Angela
Why don’t we all just “go back home” and give the NATIVE AMERICANS their land back?
Frank
Angela, they already have land that is designated theirs in this country. The rest belongs to the U.S. now. How can I go back home. This is my home. I was born here. I have no other home. I have never been out of this country ever.
Evelyn
Angela couldn’t be more right, it is time for the indigenous people of this country, to govern themselves.
Frank your view of the land GIVEN to the indigenous (reservations) are pathetic and have been shrinking with time. As we all know the one who speaks with a forked tongue has always been the U.S. greedy gov. What you should focus on is the land STOLEN.
Many of the Immigrants brought here as babies, and are now adults, feel the same way you do, they know no other home, but according to you, they should be deported.
Frank
Evelyn, native indian tribes do govern themselves in this country. They are called soveirgn nations.
I don’t need to focus on any stolen land. If you think land was stolen then take it up with the government, not me.
The difference between those illegal alien kids being brought here as kids and know no other home is that they were brought here illegally. They were born somewhere else. I was born here. Big difference! I am not suggesting that children born from illegal aliens parents on “our” soil that gained birthright citizenship, be deported.
People belong in the country they were born in unless they become naturalized citizens or are legal residents.
Frank
The “indigenous” already govern themselves. They are called sovereign nations within this country.
I don’t need to focus on any so-called stolen land. If the indigenous think land was stolen from their ancestors then they need to take it up with our government, not U.S. citizens.
The children that were brought here by their parents illegally and not born here should not and do not have the same rights as someone who was born here even though they may feel this is their home. Home is where your citizenship lays. And yes, anyone in this country illegally no matter who they are should be deported. It is the law!
Maldonado
I do not think the politicos could divide us if we were not already pre-disposed.
For example, I have never felt any solidarity or camaraderie with Cuban Americans.
Please do not mis-understand, theyre cool with me and I’m cool with them. But we have different agendas. I first noticed this while in the army back in ’77-’81.
Funny thing, though, I have always felt a strong sense of brotherhood with Puerto Ricans.
Mexico trades with Cuba and this I strongly support. but then I support the Cuban revolution as well.
I’m not a fan of Castro, however.
I think it’s a Democrat (me) -Republican (Cuban Americans) thing. Cuban Americans always seem to be for legislation that is bad for the common worker. They did side with Reagan. RR ruined more small businesses than anyother president in U.S. history.
-VC
Frank
I noticed that your “comarade” is still defined by ethiciticy, however. No mention of Black, White or Asian-Americans.
Evelyn
Frank
Your Ignorance is showing, the U.S. Gov. is made up by and of the people who are citizens of the U.S.
My point was these people that were brought here as babies, shair your feelings. Not how, when, or why, they were brought here.
The fact is that they like you, know no other home. The other point I tried to emphasize was that even though they shair the same feelings you do, you cannot find it in you to show any compassion for their feelings, only for yours.
You have lost all traces of one, or perhaps all of the traits that separate humans from beasts, because of your hate.
Have you ever been to a reservation Frank?
Do you think Indians live that way because they like it? They didn’t live like that before the invasion by the Europeans, regardless of what you might have been told!
Frank
Evelyn, it doesn’t matter that these kids were brought here as babies, they are not citizens of this country no matter how you try to spin it. They and their parents need to go back to the countries where they are citizens of. It doesn’t matter if these kids don’t remember their native countries, they will adapt. They have no right to be here as some kind of reward for their parents actions.
You can’t compare those who were actually born here to them. I can’t go back to another country because I WAS BORN HERE and am a citizen of this country, they are not! Can’t you see a simple difference such as that?
My compassion is for my fellow American citizens, not for illegal parents who broke our laws and brought their kids with them. Their parents remember their native countries so what is the big deal? Many people have moved to other countries as adults and by choice and have adapted.
I am surrounded by indian casinos, the natives seem to be doing just fine. If they have a bitch, then let them take it up with our government, not me nor other American citizens who had nothing to do with it. Those Europeans you speak of are all dead now and so are the natives alive at that time. You going to continually live in the past and blame the present day Americans for the past? Ridiculous!
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