Latinos Unidos

by Sandra Carrillo

Since his presidential bid in June of 2015, Donald J. Trump has targeted minorities with hateful and racist rhetoric. Trump put Latinos, specifically Mexicans, in a negative limelight by describing undocumented Mexican immigrants as rapists, criminals, and drug dealers. As the current president of the United States, Donald Trump has not changed his stance on immigration policy and the issues surrounding the broken immigration system. Not only has he continuously mentioned building a wall, he removed DACA from thousands of dreamers. Recently, the Trump administration has been separating young children from their mothers and families at the border. Immigration policy has long been an issue that divides Latinos within the United States. Latinos tend to have some level of political connectedness (shared/linked fate) except for when it comes to immigration. There is intergroup conflict with immigration that affects how the overall Latino population politically supports this issue. However, there have been instances, such as the 2006 immigration protests, that have brought the Latino community together regardless of their status. Will this current issue regarding basic human rights and immigration have the same effect on the Latino community?

Vargas et al.[1] suggests that current immigration policies have an impact on Latino group identity. Previous research indicates that there is a positive relationship between discrimination and linked fate among Latinos. Trump’s anti-immigrant policy and rhetoric is often unjustly associated with Latinos regardless of their documented status which in turn affects Latino group identity. Latinos across the United States are increasingly experiencing discrimination just based on their Latino identity and use of Spanish. Since current immigration policy influences the levels of discrimination that Latinos in the US are facing, I argue that Latinos should have an increase in their linked fate regarding the current issue of separating families. If there is an increase in linked fate, there should be a higher likelihood of Latinos organizing themselves and collectively acting on such an atrocious issue our country is facing. Although immigration has been a topic that divides the Latino community up to a degree, there should be some middle ground where most Latinos can meet especially since the issue of separating families goes above and beyond just immigration policy. There are basic human rights being violated through the act of separating families.

With current anti-immigration sentiments increasing discrimination towards Latinos, will Latinos have an increase in linked fate and act collectively as a group regarding the separation of families? One should hope that Latinos can overcome their differences and stance on immigration policy and come together to advocate for the safety and basic human rights of the children and families being separated. There are no biblical references that can justify what is happening at the border. I believe that the only way to truly make any impact and positively change what is happening to these families is if Latinos unite and demand action. It is time to put the saying “Latinos unidos jamas seran vencidos” to action and have it also mean Latinos not separated. It is time for the Latino community to demonstrate the political power they have as a collective group.

[1] Vargas, Edward D., Gabriel R. Sanchez, and Juan A. Valdez. 2017. “Immigration Policies and Group Identity: How Immigrant Laws Affect Linked Fate among U.S. Latino Populations.” The Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Politics 2(01): 35–62.

A Summit of Hope or a Foreshadow of Despair?

by Kayla Parnin

Today the sun will set on what is hailed across the land as a “historic” meeting, the first of its kind, between a sitting President of the United States, and a North Korean leader. Details about the finer workings of the whole summit are due to come out in a few days, but for now there are a few things we all know:

1. Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un signed a statement for denuclearization.
2. Trump agreed to stop join military dealings with South Korea.
3. North Korea would assist in finding and returning soldier remains from the Korean War of the 50s.

As someone thoroughly interested in the interaction between eastern Asia and the world, I suppose I find myself not as into the results of this as I want to be. Maybe this is because it only just finished, and things are still murky about everything behind the scenes, or maybe it’s just a gut feeling… but after the way the G7 Summit was handled just before this, I don’t think it’s something that will look too good on the “historic” scale of the future.

Summits are the pinnacle of international interactions, having started back in World War II with the meetings of Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin. The term was coined back then as well, and since then they have become more numerous and the leading way for international governance to be displayed to the public at large.

The only drawback for this, or at least for it being so recent is the varied way that social media can take it. Theories fly, people take sides, and just like the inauguration of Donald Trump, it is likely to be given a lot more scrutiny than most things. Not to say it is necessarily a bad thing, considering this was the first, and it is important to mention that, but it can lead to a dangerous and divisive future for many around the world.

Mainly because of one of those theories that has circulated is how this is falling in line with history – the actions of withdrawing from the G7 Summit and going to blows with our neighbors to the north, following the relations with North Korea have put people at a pause; it never looks good when a country tries to burn its bridges with allies that have stuck with them over the years for peace, and to embrace the countries that have such (almost violently) different views than ours.

Maybe it won’t be as bad as history dictates. Maybe there is peace to be found here, and maybe under President Trump, the hostilities that North Korea has presented to the world will cease. Maybe in the next Presidency, relations with our allies can be reconnected without the loss of whatever gains were acquired on this June 12^th. Theories and debates aside, all the people of the world can do is simply wait and see, and hope for the best.

I don’t smell napalm in the morning yet… do you?