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Trump won Latino votes like mine on immigration and the economy

Umito November 10, 2024

In addition to battering the economy, the Biden-Harris administration has failed in its duties to secure the U.S.-Mexico border and enforce our nation’s immigration laws.

Tommy Vallejos
| Opinion contributor

One of the most insulting narratives to come out of this year’s presidential elections is that Latinos who voted for Donald Trump is racist.

As someone who served our country in the armed forces, a Mexican American, and someone who proudly voted for President-elect Donald Trump, I condemn this narrative with every fiber of my being.

I voted for President-elect Donald Trump because the last few years under the current administration have been a disaster on many levels.

I am not alone: 46% of Latinos nationwideaccording to some polls, voted for the Republican presidential ticket. Additionally, President-elect Donald Trump beat out Vice President Harris among Latino men in 10 percentage points.

Although some want to pin this sexismracism and even disinformationthe answer is simple. To paraphrase Democratic strategist James Carville: “It’s the economy, stupid.”

Latinos were making gains, then COVID and high inflation got in the way

Even as inflation begins to fall, many Latinos are struggling to make ends meet. I know this anecdotally from the Latinos I care for and from the abundance of public polling showing that Latinos were most concerned about employment and the economy before election day.

What some in the political class in Nashville and Washington forget is that inflation and the higher cost of living particularly affect middle- and lower-class Latinos. This is because Latinos, on average, have less disposable income and savings than most Americans.

Latinos also know that just a few years ago, things were different.

In 2019, the national Latino unemployment rate was at an all-time low.

Homeownership And entrepreneurship rates among Latinos were soaring. The economy was growing and many Latinos felt like they were starting to get ahead and live the American dream.

And then COVID-19 hit, and the bottom fell out.

The Biden administration was swept into power, and many Latinos were eager to give Democrats a chance to turn around the economy.

Instead of reducing the tax and regulatory burden on job creators, the new administration was convinced that we needed to increase the size of government and spend freely and indiscriminately.

Inflation soared and stagnant wages failed to keep pace.

Democrats and some media have told us to reject the evidence of our eyes and ears because the national inflation rate was falling and the economy was doing well!

Latinos didn’t believe it.

Hispanic voters support immigration but also the rule of law

Instead of addressing what a Harris administration would do differently, his campaign paraded Latin American celebrities on stage while accusing Republicans of being racist.

In addition to battering the economy, the Biden/Harris administration has failed in its duties to secure the U.S.-Mexico border and enforce our nation’s immigration laws. In its desire not to be Trump, the Biden administration suspended dozens of immigration rules that contained illegal immigration to the United States.

What followed was one of the largest surges of illegal immigration in our country’s history.

Although Latinos support immigration and immigrants, they also support the rule of law and want an orderly process.

Things had gotten so bad that by the summer, polls showed that not only were Latinos no longer trust the democrats on immigration, but some even called for immediate expulsion of certain illegal immigrants.

This may help explain why counties along the United States-Mexico border voted for the Republican Party, including Starr County, which had not voted for the GOP since 1892!

The political class has failed to appreciate our love of freedom and opportunity

President-elect Trump promised to turn the page on recent years – and Latinos were ready for change. When asked, I was happy to attend a recent Latino summit in South Florida and advise his campaign.

Supporting his candidacy does not make us racists.

We are hardworking Americans, proud of our Latin American heritage, who want to provide for our families and contribute positively to our local communities.

And most importantly, we love America and cherish freedom and opportunity.

The sooner the political class realizes this, the better it will be able to convince Latinos in the next elections.

THE Rev. Tommy Vallejos served in the U.S. Army, is a former Montgomery County commissioner and executive director of Latinos for Tennessee. This column originally appeared in The Tennessean.