Those who believe former President Trump was cruel in separating young children from their undocumented parents at the border should take a look at what his likely main rival in the Republican primary, Florida Gov. Ron De Santis, is doing. He is just as ruthless, or worse.
De Santis is trying to position himself to the right of Trump on issues like the hunt for immigrants, the abortion ban, and the ease of obtaining guns. The governor knows that those who tend to vote in the primary elections are the most extreme sectors of his party, and he is trying to capture that clientele.
I wouldn’t be surprised if immigration is his main campaign issue, and that the Republican primaries will be a contest between Trump and De Santis to see which of the two is the most aggressive against the undocumented.
With US unemployment at just 3.4 percent, its lowest in more than 60 years, and inflation starting to ease, Trump and DeSantis don’t have much else left to play to their advantage. His radical anti-abortion and pro-gun stances are not very popular with moderate voters.
So the Republican candidates are placing more and more hopes in creating a mass hysteria about a supposed “invasion” of undocumented immigrants. Actually, despite a recent increase, immigrants, both legal and undocumented, make up about 13.7 percent of the population, less than a hundred years ago, according to the Pew Research Center.
Furthermore, contrary to what Trump and DeSantis would have us believe, the United States badly needs more immigrants, for demographic and economic reasons. The population is aging rapidly and the country will soon not have enough young workers to subsidize the pensions of those who retire.
DeSantis, who is expected to formally announce his candidacy later in the day, signed into law on May 10 what he proudly described as “the toughest law against illegal immigration in the country.”
State law, which goes into effect July 1, requires Florida hospitals to ask patients about their immigration status and report their details to state authorities. Many undocumented immigrants will be afraid to go to health care centers for fear of being deported, at great risk to their health.
The new Florida law also stipulates that family members or friends who bring undocumented immigrants to a hospital or school can be charged with human smuggling. It also requires companies with 25 or more employees to use the electronic E-Verify system to verify the immigration status of all their workers.
Yesica Ramírez, a community organizer with the Florida Farm Workers Association, told me that many undocumented immigrants “are already leaving or are thinking of leaving” for other states.
All of this is also generating panic in the business community. Florida’s construction, restaurant, hospitality and agricultural industries rely heavily on undocumented workers.
There is already a shortage of workers to fill existing vacancies. According to the Florida Chamber of Commerce, there are only 61 unemployed people in Florida to fill every 100 open positions in the state.
Samuel Vilchez Santiago, Florida state director of the American Business Immigration Coalition, ABIC, told me that “If too many migrants leave, businesses will pay the price, and consumers are going to end up paying more for food, housing, and just about everything. the rest”.
Trump, who fueled anti-immigrant hysteria when he falsely claimed in 2016 that most Mexican migrants are criminals and rapists, will likely try to sound as ruthless against migrants as DeSantis. They are both competing for the same fringe of the racist wing of his party.
And neither Trump nor DeSantis will be able to argue that they are only opposed to “illegal” immigration, because neither has supported proposals for comprehensive immigration reform, increasing border controls and allowing a much-needed increase in legal immigration.
In short, both Trump and DeSantis are demonizing undocumented Latin Americans for their own electoral purposes. The funny thing is that his duel to see who is the cruelest against the undocumented could end up helping to re-elect President Biden.
Don’t miss the TV show “Oppenheimer Presenta” on Sunday at 8 pm Miami time on CNN en Español. Blog: www.andresoppenheimer.com
2023-05-20 12:14:14
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