Republicans won’t win the Latino vote by supporting amnesty.
It seems that the Republican Party is always trying to win a greater share of the Latino vote and many in your party believe that supporting an amnesty for illegal aliens is the easiest way to do it. A recent article in the Washington Examiner explains why this view is misguided:
“There’s never been proof that Hispanic voters are swayed heavily by the idea of amnesty. A 2020 Unidos US poll found that Latinos in critical states were more concerned about jobs, the economy, and healthcare than immigration. The poll found Hispanic voters were more likely to vote for a candidate if they supported increasing the minimum wage, free tuition for colleges, “Medicare for all,” and paid family sick leave. This was also true in the 2016 election, where immigration was the fourth-most important issue behind the economy, healthcare, and terrorism.
“When President George W. Bush, who received 40% of the Hispanic vote in 2004, and Obama unveiled their reelection ads to Latino audiences, they didn’t focus on immigration. Bush’s Spanish language ads focused on protecting the social safety net, improving education, terrorism, and jobs. Obama’s first Spanish-language commercials during his reelection campaign focused on education.
“Trump doesn’t need amnesty to increase his support among Hispanic voters because, according to both state and national polls, he’s already improved significantly from where he was four years ago. In Florida, 45% of Hispanics say they will vote for Trump on Election Day, up from 35% in 2016. Polls in Texas show that 41% of Hispanics favor Trump in 2020, up from 34% last time. Even in Trump’s home state of New York, his support among Latinos is at 32%, up nine points from four years prior.”
It’s clear that President Trump’s failure to support an amnesty for illegal aliens hasn’t hurt his standing among Latino voters. I hope your party doesn’t try to pick up even more of the Latino vote by supporting amnesty.
Greg Raven, Apple Valley, CA
