Elbert Garcia of Florida’s Voice reacted to last night’s debate with the following statement:
“Once again, Donald Trump proved to the American public that he is unfit to lead a diverse nation that needs to bring people together to forge a better future and economy. He continued to denigrate women and immigrants, pitting neighbors against neighbors without offering any realistic plan to deal with the status of over 11 million undocumented residents and nearly 5 million of their citizen children.
Trump’s performance on Wednesday night only casts further doubt on whether voters should also elect Sen. Marco Rubio. To echo the words of the Miami Herald editorial board: “How can voters believe he’s sincere when he says he does not share Mr. Trump’s awful views on Mexicans, immigrants, Muslims, women, etc., yet — at the same time — stands by his endorsement of the New York billionaire? ”
Trump and Rubio continue to support a misguided enforcement-first immigration approach that is sure to split families and weaken the social and economic fabric of Florida’s communities. This strategy wrongfully assumes that deporting these individuals and losing the taxes that they pay on earned income and total business income (11.2 billion and 1.3 billion, respectively in 2014) will not impact our state’s local economies.
Last night’s debate does not shed new light on what Donald Trump thinks of immigration and immigrants themselves. A Trump Administration would push forward policies that treat all immigrants as suspected criminals and any foreigner entering this country as a potential terrorist threat. This type of treatment is the antithesis of what people expect and deserve in a nation built upon democratic values. Marco Rubio’s endorsement of Donald Trump reveals his connection to the injustices that the Presidential nominee represents. Any elected official who tries to convince the American people otherwise is just as unworthy of public office as the con man trying to pass himself off as our next President.”
