THE FIRST THING YOU’D HAVE NOTICED about Wednesday’s immigration press conference on Capitol Hill was the cowboy hats.
asserted
THING → notice → Hill
Similarly behatted groups can be seen in Washington often enough, and if this presser had been hosted as little as two weeks ago, you may have assumed those assembled were advocating for further immigration restrictions or a tighter border.
uncertain
those → see → restrictions
But the American Business Immigration Coalition Action had called this conference for a completely different purpose: to demand new solutions in light of the historic rebuke voters delivered to Trump’s mass-deportation agenda in the November 3 midterms.
asserted
voters → call → midterms
Along with mainstays like Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.)—who was heard lamenting that no one told him about the hats or else he would have worn his—and Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) were nine men in cowboy hats, including Bobby Pulido, the Tejano music star who unseated Monica De La Cruz in Texas’s 15th Congressional District last week, as well as South Texas builders who had turned against Trump.
asserted
who → hear → Trump
The event was a veritable Marlboro Man audition happening in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol dome, and as you observed the hats while listening to the message being delivered by the men wearing them, you saw a potent symbol of one of the more stunning outcomes of last week’s elections: Across the Southwest, Democrats won all ten of the congressional districts that ride the border with Mexico, from California to Texas.
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that → happen → Texas
Those gathered had a clear message for Washington: Latino voters have given Democrats a powerful opportunity.
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voters → gather → opportunity
They better not screw it up.
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They → screw → it
Mario Guerrero, CEO of the South Texas Builders Association and a three-time Donald Trump voter (black cowboy hat), spoke about why he voted for Sen.-elect James Talarico and Gov.-elect Gina Hinojosa.
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he → speak → Talarico
“They lost the Valley, they lost Texas, they lost the Latino vote, and the Senate,” he said of Republicans.
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he → lose → Republicans
“A friendly reminder to Democrats: Don’t waste this opportunity like Obama and Biden did.”
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Obama → waste → opportunity
Serious immigration reform is a daunting prospect, and it seems even more daunting over the next two years, with Trump still in office and anti-immigration fanatic Stephen Miller his new chief of staff.
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Miller → seem → staff
But with the wind at their backs, this posse of serious border-state Democrats called for the party to muster its political courage to make necessary, hard choices in the coming year to fight back against Trump’s mass-deportation program and to undo its ugly, painful consequences.
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party → call → consequences
“The Latino community spoke in unison all across the country.
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community → speak → country
The Gulf of Mexico all the way to San Diego is now represented by Democrats,” Gallego said.
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Gallego → represent → Democrats
“Latinos are giving Democrats a chance to earn the Latino vote again, and some of that will be pushing hard on immigration reform.”
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some → give → reform
Gallego said that while there’s limited time this session to make progress, it might still be possible to cut a deal on immigration with Trump in the new year after Democrats take over Congress.
uncertain
Democrats → say → Congress
After all, Republicans have always said immigration reform could become possible once we have a secure border.
uncertain
we → say → border
“We have that right now,” Gallego said.
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Gallego → have → that
“The president wanted a wall, and we did get a wall—a blue wall from Brownsville all the way up to California, New Mexico, Arizona, and Texas,” said Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas), who added, “The president said he wants to work with us.
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he → want → us
I hope no chief of staff changes his mind.”
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chief → hope → mind
In addition to reform, though, these Democrats are demanding accountability.
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Democrats → demand → accountability
Cuellar said he will become the first chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security to come from a border community.
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he → say → community
He’s already working on creating guardrails for ICE and detention centers for fiscal year 2027, and he’s reached out to the administration to discuss his plans.
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he → work → plans
“We gotta put ICE the way it was before January 2025,” Cuellar said.
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Cuellar → put → January
The press conference wasn’t all men: Texas Reps. Sylvia Garcia and Veronica Escobar, among several women members of Congress who participated, discussed their own immigration bills; Garcia said the discharge petition for her Dream and Promise Act, which would protect DACA and TPS recipients, needs only one more Republican to force a House vote on the legislation.
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which → participate → legislation
Escobar said she’s got a bipartisan duo interested in the Senate.
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she → say → Senate
The most fiery language on Wednesday came from Carlos Eduardo Espina, not a politician but a social media influencer whose importance has steadily grown since Trump began his second term.
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Trump → come → term
“I see a lot of celebration, and I don’t know why we’re celebrating.
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we → see → celebration
Families are still suffering.
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Families → suffer → ?
Families are still living in fear.
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Families → live → fear
Families are still hurting,” he said.
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he → hurt → ?
“You see in the news, someone got deported after thirty years being here.
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someone → see → news
So what happened in those years prior to get us to where we’re at today?”
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we → happen → where
Espina’s message to Democrats is very simple:
Trump learned that he can lose the Latino vote very quickly.
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he → learn → vote
And Democrats will learn the same thing if they don’t act swiftly on immigration.
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they → learn → immigration
We see a lot about affordability, about the economy.
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We → see → economy
So we need to make immigration a priority.
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immigration → need → ?
Otherwise, it’s going to be very rough in 2028.
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it → go → 2028
And my final message is any person who wants to be president in 2028 will have to win the Latino vote.
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who → want → vote
So you have to earn it.
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you → have → it
…and 36 more, not listed.
The Aporia
