Just Ask The Ohio Immigrant Families That Met With Him
The Washington Post reported that the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce will endorse Ohio Governor John Kasich for President today. From the Post:
During a public forum with the candidates, the group’s president and CEO, Javier Palomarez, admitted that Kasich “doesn’t have a huge track record of working with Hispanics specifically — the guy’s from Ohio, for Christ’s sake. But he has a record of economic growth.”
Said Lynn Tramonte, Director of Ohio’s Voice: “Apparently, the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce has decided Governor John Kasich is the least bad of the three remaining Republican candidates. In this cycle, that’s really not saying a whole lot.”
Mr. Palomarez should realize that yes, there are Latinos in Ohio, and Governor Kasich has not been a champion for the community. Take for example Jocelyn and Arianna, two U.S. citizen Latinas whose mother is facing deportation. The governor told them boldly and plainly that he could not support DAPA and DACA despite their pleas for support.
Then there’s Andrew, an 11 year-old U.S. citizen whose parents are eligible for DAPA but currently live in limbo. Andrew traveled all the way to Iowa to track down Governor Kasich, after requests for a meeting back home were rebuffed. “A constituent shouldn’t have to travel to another state, and confront the governor in front of the media, in order to have his perspective heard by someone who wants to be a friend,” Tramonte continued.
“Several Latino families–made up of U.S. citizen and undocumented residents–met with Governor Kasich and Attorney General Mike DeWine last year. No one in our group left the meeting with Kasich feeling that the Governor truly understood their point of view. We asked him to end his opposition to DACA and DAPA, and he refused to do so. This is sad by true, and cannot be ignored,” concluded Tramonte.