On October 6th, 2017, President Trump officially
celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month.
Honestly, I have no problem with our President and
government recognizing different cultures, as long as they have contributed to
the American mosaic. Remember the sage words of Hector Saint John de Crevecoeur,
the French-born American farmer who outlined the new American nationality to
the world: “What is this American? This new man? He has become an American by
being received in the broad lap of our great Alma Mater. Here individuals of
all races are melted into a new race of man, whose labors and posterity will
one day cause great changes in the world. Americans are the western pilgrims.”
There is the beauty of this wonderful country. Our
backgrounds do not predetermine our future, nor undermine our potential. We can
celebrate our ethnic heritage while rejoicing in our shared, new identity as
Americans. Among those “western pilgrims” include men and women of Hispanic
descent. Admiral David Farragut commanded the Union Navy during the Civil War,
helped implement the Anaconda Plan to squeeze Southern ports and commerce into
submission: “Damn the torpedoes! Full speed ahead!”
Some of the most ardent Hispanic-American patriots have
lived in the United States for generations, if not centuries. They include
Governor Susana Martinez, who can trace her heritage back to the early 1800s,
before the New Mexican territory joined the United States. Today, Latinos for
Trump have shaped the political and cultural discussion in my home state of
California, as well as other border states like Texas, Arizona, and Florida.
Here in Los Angeles, Latinos for Trump, starting with Marco Gutierrez
from Discovery Bay, and also including Harim Uzziel (Sephardic Jew as well
as Hispanic), Elsa Aldeguer, and many others throughout the Los Angeles region
are outspoken in their support for the president. Political correctness did not
slow them down or silence their enthusiasm for the President.
Trump’s demand for a wall actually bolstered voters’ respect
for him. Peggy Noonan, columnist for the Wall Street Journal and former speech
writer for Ronald Reagan, marveled at the staggering number of Latinos who had
pledged their support for Trump. No doubt, President Trump reached out very
capably to Hispanic communities throughout his campaign. Who can forget Myriam Witcher at the Las
Vegas, Nevada event? “I’m Hispanic, and I vote for Donald Trump!”
So, Trump celebrated his first annual Hispanic Heritage
Month, and the media gave it scant attention. Wayne Dupree went off on them for
their cursory glance at the event, especially following his incredible,
industrious efforts in Puerto Rico along with the teams of first responders in
the region. (How about the fact that 30% + voted for Trump in 2016).
Instead of reporting on the whole event at the White House, AOL
and the Business Insider fixated on someone
else: Fredy Burgos, a conservative Republican and active member of the Virginia
Republican Party Central Committee, showed up to the White House Hispanic
Heritage Month event sporting the trade red baseball cap. The mainstream media
went crazy, not just because of the cap, but for what it read: “Build the
Wall!”
I could not agree more. This hat was a brilliant trope, a
perfect signal for the event, and a ground-breaking moment to advance Trump
cause. Since when did the construction of a wall amount to racism? The most
contentious moment of the Trump campaign followed from his Phoenix, Arizona
speech. “When Mexico sends her people, they’re not sending their best ...” And
the rest is political history, and astounding history because in spite of the
sage wisdom of consultants, Beltway bureaucrats, and K Street lobbyists,
Trump’s stark, critical remarks about illegal immigration and its damaging
impact on Americans resonated with voters. He won the election, after all, and
many Hispanics for Trump told me that he was spot-on with his remarks.
Like Fredy Burgos, they want the wall! In city council
meeting after city council meeting, Latinos for Trump have been outspoken in
their demands for border security. One organizer in our movement, Faris Ibrik
of Texas, now living in West Hollywood, told me about his life in Mexico. Not
only did he not receive fair special treatment while going to school, he faced
discrimination of his own, since he was born in the United States, and also of Middle
Eastern background.
When Trump sounded the alarm about immigration from Mexico,
not only was he not offended, but he decided right then “I’m voting for Trump!”
That brings us back to Fredy Burgos. “Build the Wall” his hat declared to the
audience and to the world. Defend one’s country is not racist, but an
expression of sovereignty.
For Burgos, the wall is more than a concrete barrier for
public safety. Cultural Marxism, the disdain for America’s egalitarian Judeo-Christian
republic, is undermining us, and Virginia’s political Establishment wants
Burgos removed from the Central Committee. But Latino for Trump Burgos won’t be
stopped. He wants that wall. A secure border means a secure American identity
committed to the E Pluribus Unum vision outlined by Crèvecoeur in one of his
letters.
Leaders in different Hispanic communities have declared their
support for border security and deportation of illegal aliens. It’s time for the
political class in Washington, Republican as well as Democrat, to listen and
follow through. If Trump wants to put a perfect finish on Hispanic Heritage
Month, then he needs to build that wall! Mexico has a wall. Colombia has secure
borders, too. Border walls are not only acceptable, but they are as Hispanic as
anything else. The United States needs the wall. Prototypes are lining up in
San Diego. The House of Representatives has appropriated $1.6 billion, with
another $10 billion to follow. There’s no stopping us now.
President Trump’s outstanding defense of the United States,
our flag, and our culture is precisely what we need, American values which
President Trump vowed to uphold, defend, and promote. There is no better way
for him to do so than to “Build the Wall!”
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