The Impending Hurricane Puerto Rico by Ediberto Román (Professor of Law, Florida International University) and Ernesto Sagás (Professor of Ethnic Studies, Colorado State University)
The Impending Hurricane Puerto Rico by Ediberto Román (Professor of Law, Florida International University) and Ernesto Sagás (Professor of Ethnic Studies, Colorado State University)
On Thursday, October 31, a visibly uncomfortable Donald Trump visited the blue state of New Mexico to hold a brief political rally. He made it abundantly clear, “I’m here for one very simple reason…I like you very much, and it’s good for my credentials with the Hispanic or Latino community.” To which he added, exasperated: “New Mexico, look, don’t make me waste a whole damn half a day here.” Trump was so patently transparent in his demeanor on that day, that it begs the question: Why was he in—of all places—New Mexico, just five days before the presidential election? Why spend valuable time and resources in a state that he is not going to win? The obvious answer is that Trump was trying—in his own, clumsy and yet recalcitrant way—to make amends with Latinos after a comedian described Puerto Rico as “a floating island of garbage” during his political rally in New York City on October 27. Trump, who feels like he never has to apologize to anyone, came as close to an apology as we will ever get from him—a “trick-or-treat,” “scratch-your-head” moment of sorts right on Halloween Day. Trump knows that he needs the Latino vote to win in key swing states like Arizona, Nevada, and the kingmaker state of Pennsylvania (which has around 300,000 eligible voters of Puerto Rican ancestry). And if he doesn’t get those votes, that’s the end of his political career and he goes back to court to answer to dozens of state and federal charges.
The fallout from the rally in Madison Square Garden New York City has struck the Trump campaign like a political storm, indeed a hurricane if you will. The campaign immediately sought to distance itself from the comedian’s remarks and Trump himself claimed that he didn’t know the guy—even though this individual was invited to the rally and his comedic material was vetted by the Trump campaign. But it was too little, too late. Puerto Rican elected officials, as well as celebrities like megastar Bad Bunny, Hollywood actress Jennifer Lopez, singers Marc Anthony, Ricky Martin, and Luis Fonsi, and Broadway celebrity Lin-Manuel Miranda pounced on Trump for his long history of demeaning comments towards Latinos and communities of color. Moreover, they reminded the public about Trump’s lack of empathy for Puerto Ricans after Hurricane Maria flattened the island in 2017, and how Trump delayed sending aid to the island as millions of people were in desperate need of relief and the death toll rose. This wasn’t the kind of bad publicity that Trump needed as his acolytes had spent months whitewashing his image and trying to make him seen like a “normal” presidential candidate. But Trump is far from normal and his attempt to reingratiate himself with Latinos is but a pathetic last-ditch effort to save his chaotic campaign. In a classic instance of poetic justice, “Hurricane Puerto Rico,” that is, the political power of Puerto Ricans and other Latinos voting in key battleground states, could sink Trump’s ship.
As demonstrated above, Puerto Rican celebrities and political leaders have spoken out against Trump’s racist ventures. The question remains whether the Puerto Rican community, and Latinx community in general, will take the next step. Will they take this critical moment in their history, and the country’s history for that matter, as their Puerto Rican moment? Legal scholars have proclaimed such consequential moments, such as Asian American moments, where social justice movements by minority groups have led civil rights progress in the face of systematic prejudice. The question is whether the Puerto Rican community do more than just “boo” as President Obama warned, will they vote?
The authors here know our people take attacks in stride. Indeed, after over a century of colonial rule, we are used to disrespect. But this moment feels different: conservative and liberal Puerto Ricans and other Latinos alike seem to have had enough of the disrespect. What Trump may fail to realize is that he may be in the path of an oncoming storm. It is one where he may not be able cleanse himself with last-ditch campaign stops to court the Latino vote. His history of hate directed against the Puerto Rican and the Latino community is too long, and he has never apologized for any of it. In fact, he had the temerity to call of calling the Madison Square Garden rally a “lovefest.” Our communities should never forget Tony Hinchcliffe felt comfortable telling a racist joke because Puerto Rico has never commanded any respect from Trump himself. And to add to the harm, we must take notice Trump had the nerve to begin his speech at the same rally by promising the largest mass deportation of immigrants in this country’s history. He could have easily denounced the cacophony of racist attacks at the rally. Instead, he embraced the hate. Rest assured, his promise of sweeping immigrant roundups will disproportionately affect the Latino community, which will include U.S. citizens and legal residents being deported. That is exactly what occurred during the 1950s mass deportation plan Trump has announced he will follow—Operation Wetback— where hundreds, if not thousands, of U.S. citizens and U.S. legal residents were wrongfully deported.
Cowardly attempts by his campaign to distance themselves from the racism throughout the New York City rally as well as last-ditch campaign stops in predominantly Latino communities, are simply not enough. Now is the time for Trump to face the oncoming storm (or blue or Puerto Rican wave). Trump’s persona has always been about hate and targeting the voiceless ever since 2017, where he made his first venture into the political arena by calling Latino immigrants rapists, drug dealers, and criminals.
May Trump’s hate be swept away in the impending Hurricane Puerto Rico.
KJ