by Javier Manjarres
Last week’s Hispanic Leadership Conference in Coral Gables attracted numerous politicos and industry leaders to the event, most noteworthy was the event’s co-chair, former Governor Jeb Bush. To no one’s surprise, there was no disagreement on the overarching goal of the conference which called on Republicans to intensify their outreach efforts to Hispanics if Republicans desire to build off of their recent electoral successes. While the meeting provided a good opportunity for state and national politicians to pow wow with many Hispanic leaders across the public and private sectors, there were several troubling messages that unfortunately emerged from the conference that deserve further review. (VIDEO BELOW)“It would be incredibly stupid over the long haul to ignore the burgeoning Hispanic vote.” – Jeb Bush
Governor Bush’s observation begs a question- just whom within the GOP is actually against courting Hispanics? I am unaware of anyone sitting in any meaningful position of power within Republican circles who would suggest we “ignore” the growing Hispanic vote if Republicans wish to expand their base, and Bush’s statement is more of a feel-goody straw man rather than one which addresses a real problem within the GOP.
take our poll - story continues belowDo you think the 2nd Amendment will be destroyed by the Biden Administration?(2)
Completing this poll grants you access to Shark Tank updates free of charge. You may opt out at anytime. You also agree to this site's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.Former Governor Bush also pointed out the need for Republican officials to reach out to Hispanics in other ways, such as improving public education and appointing more Latinos to state offices and judgeships “even when nobody is watching.”
While Bush is well meaning in his intentions here, statements like this come across as pandering, and many will also consider them patronizing as well. GOP leaders would be very misguided to engage in the same identity politics that Democrats do, and rather than being primarily concerned with appointing Hispanics to offices and judgeships based on their ethnicity, they should be striving to appoint people from any ethnic background based first and foremost on their merits and qualifications.
“The decibels have to be lower,” he said. “It doesn’t’ matter how good are policy positions are, if we are perceived as being anti-immigrant, we cannot be the majority party.” – Lincoln Diaz-Balart
Perhaps a more troubling aspect of the Conference was a distinction that needed to be made but what wasn’t. As I listened to Governor Bush, former Senator Norm Coleman, former Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez and former Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart address the issue of illegal immigration, there was something unmistakably absent from all of their speeches- that is, an acknowledgment of the distinction between legal and illegal immigration, and their persistent refusal to differentiate between the two.
Unfortunately, too many of those assembled not only failed to make this critical distinction, they were more likely to caricature those who oppose illegal immigration as individuals who not only stereotype all illegal immigrants as violent drug traffickers, but are also completely without sympathy for their plight. And unfortunately, the old “comprehensive immigration reform” moniker was tossed around ad nauseum– that’s just code for support of amnesty for illegal immigrants that are currently here as well for those illegals who will arrive here in the future. It is also unhelpful and inaccurate to label those who are opposed to ILLEGAL immigration as “extreme”, a tactic which comes straight out of the Democrat playbook.
The message that the GOP needs to send to Hispanic community should be a simple one- equal opportunity and respect belongs to all individuals across all ethnic backgrounds- but respect for the Rule of Law is just as important. If the GOP hopes to make any significant inroads into the Hispanic community, it needs to properly articulate the message that illegal immigration has implications not only for law-abiding individuals’ personal security, it is also has serious national security implications as well. Many of the legal immigrants coming to the U.S. from Latin American countries flee their countries because of a lack of prosperity and opportunity as well as violence and lawlessness. Why do we want to continue to further non-enforcement policies that contribute to the reason why people leave many Latin American countries- particularly, the socialist dictatorships- in the first place?
Hispanic leaders across the country need to be courageous enough to admit the fact that illegal immigration and criminal activity are inextricably tied together, as nobody and nothing can cross the southern border without the approval of Mexican Drug Cartels or the corrupt Mexican government. The crime rate along the southern border continues to escalate, and human and drug trafficking continues unabated. Leadership starts at the top, and it is in no way racist or bigoted to acknowledge that we have a border security problem that allows violent crime and criminal activity to spill over the Mexican border.
If our government continues to condone lawlessness and the breaking of our immigration laws that are on the books, what kind of message are we sending to other Latin American countries? What message are we sending to prospective immigrants in Latin American countries who wish to immigrate to this country legally? For all of the talk about “Leadership” at this conference, the majority of the rhetoric was more likely to avoid frank discussion about these difficult issues, let alone offer principled concrete solutions that will ultimately resolve these problems once and for all.