The 2024 election revealed a stark paradox: Donald Trump secured a historic 45 percent of the Latino vote despite campaigning on mass deportations and using rhetoric that called immigrants “poison” to America’s “blood.”
That turnout has led to quite a bit of ire. One person, @miriamaaria, tweeted on X, “trump LITERALLY tried to get rid of daca. im tired of fucking latinos for trump YALL ARE FUCKING BRAIN DEAD.”
This 13-point surge from 2020 came even after Trump’s first administration actively tried dismantling DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) and implementing family separation policies at the border. His 2024 campaign doubled down, promising “the largest deportation in American history” on his first day back in office.
“I do not understand how you can run a campaign pledging mass deportations and declare that immigrants are ‘poisoning’ the blood of the nation, then improve dramatically with Latino voters,” political analyst Daniela Horwitz noted on social media. “I will never get it.”
The voting pattern reveals a striking gender divide—Latino men backed Trump by 54% to Harris’s 44%, while Latina women supported Harris by 61% to Trump’s 37%, which indicates these men are attracted to Trump’s classical Übermensch routine. Exit polls show economic concerns drove many of these votes, with inflation and cost of living dominating voter priorities. The irony, of course, is that Trump’s tariff plan will cost these same voters even more.
But critics argue this ignores the devastating economic impact Trump’s proposed policies would have on Latino communities. Studies indicate mass deportations would shrink the U.S. economy by up to 6.2% annually and trigger inflation through labor shortages.
“Latino voters did not vote against their interests if you understand that the person who gets into a treehouse has an ‘interest’ in pulling up the ladder behind them,” wrote legal analyst Elie Mystal. “Trump only promised to push the ‘bad’ Latinos out… and they’re confident that doesn’t mean them.”
This phenomenon, rooted in white adjacency, mirrors prior historical patterns where some immigrant groups, once established, pull up the ladder behind them and support restricting access for newer arrivals. But Trump’s rhetoric goes beyond typical immigration debate—he’s explicitly pledged to invoke the 1798 Alien Enemies Act for rapid deportations without hearings.
Stephen Miller, Trump’s expected immigration policy architect, has already outlined an aggressive first 100 days that he promises will be “pure bliss” for immigration hardliners. With some roadblocks out of the way, the fanatical Miller’s bureaucratic expertise and his wildly unhinged commitment to deporting everyone who could be deported make him uniquely positioned to overcome the practical obstacles that limited Trump’s first-term immigration crackdown.
Miller’s recent rhetoric reflects this intensified approach – he’s been spreading unverified claims about immigrants and shouting at reporters about alleged crimes. With a more cooperative executive branch and a rightward-shifted Supreme Court, experts warn Miller could achieve far more of his deportation agenda than in Trump’s first term, despite the logistical challenges of removing millions of people.
“Latinos, a campaign that has been against you since 2016 & you still want their approval because you believe deep down you’re one of them and are superior to other immigrants who have had a harder road to getting citizenship,” observed voter advocate Valentina Voight.
With Trump promising swift action on deportations and border militarization, activists warn that many Latino Trump voters may soon face harsh realities about their perceived exemption from his policies. His victory speech’s call for people to “come back in…legally” offered little comfort given his first term’s aggressive restrictions on legal immigration pathways.
The coming months will test whether Latino Trump voters’ economic priorities outweigh the human cost of his promised immigration crackdown.
Published: Nov 7, 2024 02:40 pm