Letters to the Editor: Anti-immigrant Latino Trump supporters should remember their own history
To the editor: Why are so many Cuban Americans in Florida voicing their opposition to open borders? Why do they consider immigration one of their most ardent concerns? (“Florida Democrats’ lesson for California: Don’t take anyone’s support for granted,” Nov. 16)
Have they forgotten the migration of thousands fleeing hostilities during the Cuban revolution? How about the Mariel boatlift of 1980, which brought Cubans fleeing oppression to the United States? Or the ongoing Cuban migration crisis that started in 2021, in which economic hardship rooted in the Trump-era sanctions has sparked another wave of people seeking entry into the U.S.?
True, Latino voters are not one homogeneous group, but if we could come together, we would find that we all want the same thing: justice and liberty for all.
Toni Martinez-Burgoyne, Pasadena
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To the editor: Interesting how people from Venezuela and Cuba who escaped dictators in their home countries are now ready to endorse one here.
Fernando Torres, North Hills
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To the editor: I guess the saying commonly attributed to P.T. Barnum is right — there’s a sucker born every minute.
Anyone who supports former President Trump at this juncture has fallen for the con and cannot, or will not, admit to themselves that they’ve been duped. There is nothing redeemable about him.
His supporters are now in a cult, even as they refuse to believe and accept it. The head of the Republican National Committee has even said she will support the former president if he is convicted.
Democratic voters must come out in overwhelming numbers. At this point I no longer have any sympathy or empathy for those who are in the cult. None. They made the choice to support a traitor. Let them lie in the bed they’ve made for themselves.
Scott Hughes, Westlake Village
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To the editor: The Latinos in Florida mentioned in this article obviously didn’t learn their lesson from Trump’s first term as president. Noncitizens like Alejandro Rodriguez, a Nicaraguan who lives in Florida, could be targeted for deportation if Trump is reelected.
Who can forget what candidate Trump said to Black voters in 2016: “What do you have to lose?” He definitely showed undocumented and noncitizen Latinos what they had to lose.
Latinos need to wake up. If you think Trump’s first go-around was bad, a second will be hell on Earth.
Hector Hernandez, San Clemente
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To the editor: Alejandro Rodriguez, an immigrant from Nicaragua, says that “if I have my door open, anybody can come in and out. Same thing with borders.”
That remark made me think of the story of students who are awarded an advanced degree. Along with congratulations, the provost asks what they suggest for those working toward the degree. The answer: “Tighten up the requirements.”
Rodriguez’s position is pretty selfish. He’s made it into this country but supports restrictions for others. How is that attitude going to help humanity in the face of climate challenges already provoking migration from affected areas and threatening even more populations?
We need enlightened and creative solutions to a critical situation, not “the boat is full.”
Margo Kasdan, Seal Beach
