I recently asked AI to define the word “stupidity.” The response was strikingly accurate: “Stupidity is the lack of good judgment, intelligence, or common sense in a given situation. It can refer to foolish behavior, ignorance, or the inability to think critically about consequences. While everyone can make mistakes, repeated poor decisions or a refusal to learn from experience are often considered signs of stupidity.”
That definition perfectly encapsulates the mindset of many immigrant voters who supported and voted for Donald Trumpeto and his sidekick Elon. Now, as their family members and friends face deportation under his administration or are running scared of ICE, the reality of their foolish action is hitting hard.
Take Miami, Fla., for example. In November, Cuban and Venezuelan voters celebrated Trump’s victory in the streets, but just weeks into his administration, the cheers have turned to dismay as deportation fears grip their communities. This is especially true for Venezuelan immigrants, many of whom depended on Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to remain in the U.S.
Trump has already reversed the Biden administration’s TPS order for Venezuelans, meaning protections for more than 300,000 Venezuelans will end in early April. Another 250,000 Venezuelans with extensions through September also face uncertainty. The same Venezuelans who helped hand Trump a win in Miami-Dade County are now feeling “betrayed.”
As Adelys Ferro, director of the Venezuelan American Caucus, told the Miami Herald: “Beyond betrayed. They used us.”
To that, I say — no, you weren’t “used.” You were simply foolish. Trump has made his stance on immigrants clear since 2016. He told you exactly what he planned to do. You just assumed you and your loved ones were so special that you would be exempt.
Meanwhile, in Richmond Hill, N.Y., home to the Indo-Guyanese community often called “Little Guyana,” a similar reckoning is unfolding. Last year, many in this community supported Trump, buying into fake promises of economic prosperity and a tough-on-crime agenda. Now, less than a month into his term, they’re pleading for mercy as his immigration policies take effect.
Businesses in the area, once thriving, are suffering, and the once-bustling streets are now eerily quiet. Restaurants and bars are struggling without undocumented workers who once filled essential roles.
“We didn’t think it would happen to us,” one community member, requesting anonymity, told the Village Voice. “We’ve been here for 20, 30 years. We own homes, businesses; and send our kids to school here. We thought we were safe.”
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”
Sadly, the consequences of this ignorance are now unfolding before our eyes. The rest of us — those who saw the danger from the start — are left to watch as these voters of color, who fell for Trump and his Musketeer sidekick, now scramble to escape the very policies they helped enable.
Felicia J. Persaud is the publisher of NewsAmericasNow.com, a daily news outlet focused on positive news about Black immigrant communities from the Caribbean and Latin America.