That age-old ‘I did not think the leopards would eat MY face’ meme is getting one hell of a run-out, here. Ileana Garcia, a State Senator from Florida, has lashed out at Donald Trump and his immigration crackdown – despite co-founding the Latinas For Trump group in 2016.
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Latinas For Trump founder attacks Trump over immigration policies
The organisation has raised eyebrows since its inception, given that President Trump has often spoke disparagingly about Hispanic immigrants and Latin American communities. His rhetoric on Mexicans has been particularly vicious – and yet, he still retains sizeable support in these demographics.
However, that backing could soon take a significant hit. Since returning to power in January, Trump has made deportations and removing immigrants one of his top priorities, actioning multiple large-scale ICE raids and targeting hundreds of thousands of people living in the US.
Over the last few days, attempted deportations in Los Angeles have sparked a fierce public backlash, leading to widespread riots and civil unrest. In response, Trump has risked a potential ‘constitutional crisis’ by sending the National Guard in to disperse protesters in LA.
Congresswoman slams ‘lack of due process’ in ICE raids
This escalation has proved too much, even for some of Trump’s most loyal supporters. Maria Salazar, a top Republican Congresswoman from Florida, said in a statement that she is ‘heartbroken’ to see tactics – such as the arrests at immigration courts – that are causing ‘widespread uncertainty’.
US President chastised by Latinas For Trump group
Garcia has since echoed these claims – and gone a step further. She branded the White House approach as ‘unacceptable and inhumane’, saying that the enforcement of mass deportations is ‘undermining the fairness and justice’ that US citizens have come to expect from lawmakers.
“This is not what we voted for. I have always supported Donald Trump, through thick and thin. However, this is unacceptable and inhumane.“
“I understand the importance of deporting criminals, but what we are witnessing are arbitrary measures to hunt down people who comply proceedings – in many cases, they have credible fear of persecution. This undermines the fairness and justice that the American people value.” | Ileana Garcia