Firstly, let me tell you that being Republican and Latino is not incompatible in the United States of America. In my university, I often hear that being both is totally incompatible and I have even had debates with people that have tried to call me ‘racist’ by the mere fact of being a Republican. However, those who had called me racist for being Republican in the era of Trump they seem to have forgotten many things. The Republican Party not only has stood out in history because it was the party that abolished slavery in 1865, but it was also the first political entity in the United States to grant women suffrage in 1870 at its annual convention. It seems that many people forgot who was the party who fought against the KKK, or the party who pushed for the "wet feet, feet dry policy" thus helping the Cubans who were escaping from political persecution in their country. The Republicans were also the ones who pushed for the best comprehensive immigration reform that this country has ever had in 1986. Yes, each and every one of the things I mentioned before were policies impulsed by the Republican Party.
Love for our country is something that not only characterizes us as patriots, but also as Americans. And what better way than to show our love for our country by defending it through our armed forces. And in this area, we Latinos have also been pillars. Approximately 10,000 Hispanics fought during the Civil War, including 4,000 from the state of Texas. Philip Bazaar and John Ortega, both from the Union Navy, received two Medals of Honor of those awarded to Hispanics during the war. Thousands of Hispanics served in voluntary units during the Spanish-American War as well. After that conflict, Hispanics continued to serve with distinction in all branches of the army. A Mexico-American, Pvt. France Silva of the Marines, won a Medal of Honor during the Boxer Rebellion of 1900 in China. As part of a contingent of Marines of the USS Newark, Silva assisted in defending the British legation in Beijing until being relieved by the allied army.
Over 200,000 Hispanics were mobilized for World War I, mostly Mexico-Americans, and were integrated into all branches of the army. An estimated 500,000 Hispanics served during World War II. General Douglas MacArthur called the Arizona National Guard's 158th Infantry Regiment, which was composed mostly of Hispanic and Native American soldiers, "one of the best combat teams ever deployed for battle." Hispanics were awarded Medals of Honor in numerous regiments during the war. The contributions of Latinos to the US military continued in the armed conflicts of the second half of the twentieth century. Over 148,000 Hispanics served during the Korean War, receiving nine Medals of Honor. Approximately 80,000 Hispanics served in the United States Army during the 10 years in which the country was involved in the Vietnamese conflict, with 13 Medals of Honor being awarded. Sgt. Roy P. Benavidez of the Special Forces, a Mexican-American, is one of the Hispanics with the most famous Medal of Honor of the Vietnam War. And all this without counting on the more than 250,000 American citizens of Puerto Rico who have been part of our armed forces.
However, we must bring our history to this day to understand why it is not incongruous to be a Republican and Latino. After 8 years under a president that was highly interested in becoming closer to Iran and Cuba, that reduced in $1 trillion dollars the budget of the pentagon and that was in charge of attacking traditional allies, President Trump brought a different look to the traditional policy that was carried in Washington, DC. In just eight months, he and his Government has faced our enemies, promoted real reforms within NATO - both in terms of financing the organization and increasing the presence of this organization in Eastern Europe - and has managed to create 1.1 million jobs. Taking all of this into account, I now understand why 29% of the Hispanic electorate voted for Donald Trump. Now I understand why the Puerto Rican and Cuban vote was key for Trump to win a key state like Florida, and why the Hispanics took him to where he is. Despite Trump's enemies within the Democratic and Republican spheres, the new president has not disappointed us after he got into the White House.
A great example of this is his passionate interest in strengthening our borders and in supporting legislation that favors the presence of the “Dreamers” in the United States. Before this I have no doubt of why I am a Republican without leaving aside my love and pride for my Latino heritage. The values of fighting for individual liberties, for having a real free market and of believing that all citizens of this great nation are equal within the constitutional framework that governs us, are qualities that characterize and differentiate us from the rest. All the historical and empirical arguments I have just presented are more than enough to recognize the legitimacy we have all those Latinos who wish to be Republicans. Because we believe in the principles and values of our party, and because we recognize that the social and economic potential, but especially, because we know that the electoral power of the 55 million Latinos living in our nation, are the future of our party. For this, I am and always will be a Latino-Republican.
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