WEBVTT - What Conservatives Say About Immigration (Part 2) 0:00:00.360 --> 0:00:02.800 Keep on riding with us as we continue to broadcast 0:00:02.800 --> 0:00:05.080 the balance and defend the discourse from the Hip hop 0:00:05.120 --> 0:00:08.200 Weekly Studios. Welcome back to Civic Cipher. I'm your host 0:00:08.280 --> 0:00:11.440 ramses Ja. He is Rams's Jah. I am Qward. 0:00:11.560 --> 0:00:16.280 You are hopefully still or tuning back into Civic Cipher. 0:00:15.960 --> 0:00:17.400 And that is what we hope and we hope that 0:00:17.440 --> 0:00:22.240 you stay tuned because we are joined by Wendy Amara, 0:00:22.280 --> 0:00:25.239 who is an activist board member of Roots and Wings, 0:00:25.239 --> 0:00:28.280 the content creator group that uplifts the stories of immigrants, 0:00:28.320 --> 0:00:30.960 and she's the host of the Yes Muher Build It 0:00:31.080 --> 0:00:35.519 podcast who can be found online at Wendy Amara. So 0:00:36.800 --> 0:00:39.800 we are going to be kind of digging a little 0:00:39.800 --> 0:00:44.360 bit more into the weeds and uncovering really the conservative 0:00:44.400 --> 0:00:49.600 approach to immigration. We're going to get some talking points 0:00:49.640 --> 0:00:53.760 out of the way and fleshed out, and we definitely 0:00:53.760 --> 0:00:56.080 think it's going to help if you're having tough conversations 0:00:56.120 --> 0:00:58.040 around the dinner table or at work. So stick around 0:00:58.080 --> 0:01:00.240 for that and so much more. But right now it 0:01:00.280 --> 0:01:02.680 is time to be Aba. Become a better ally Baba, 0:01:02.720 --> 0:01:05.919 and today's Baba. We want you to check out MDEF 0:01:06.080 --> 0:01:11.480 dot org. That's IMMDEF dot org that stands for Immigrant 0:01:11.560 --> 0:01:18.240 Defender's Law Center MDEAF and Immigrant Defender's Law Center is 0:01:18.280 --> 0:01:22.200 a next generation social justice law firm that defends immigrant 0:01:22.200 --> 0:01:26.360 communities against injustices in the immigration system. M DEAF was 0:01:26.400 --> 0:01:29.080 created in twenty fifteen from the vision of a small 0:01:29.080 --> 0:01:31.000 group of immigration lawyers and. 0:01:31.040 --> 0:01:33.640 Advocates who believe there was a better way to. 0:01:33.600 --> 0:01:37.960 Protect the due process rights of immigrants facing deportation. At 0:01:38.000 --> 0:01:41.320 its founding, MDEAF was solely focused on ensuring that every 0:01:41.400 --> 0:01:45.240 immigrant before the immigration court had a lawyer by their side. However, 0:01:45.319 --> 0:01:47.400 in the years that followed, they recognized the need to 0:01:47.440 --> 0:01:51.720 not only help individual sorry individuals facing deportation, but also 0:01:51.720 --> 0:01:55.520 work towards systemic change that reimagines a more just immigration system. 0:01:56.240 --> 0:01:59.880 You are needed in this fight. Become an immigrant defender 0:02:00.040 --> 0:02:03.640 every day asylum seekers and refugees face new challenges to 0:02:03.760 --> 0:02:07.320 seeking safety. Follow their work to learn more on how 0:02:07.320 --> 0:02:10.200 to help immigrants feel welcome with dignity, and you could 0:02:10.200 --> 0:02:13.640 sign up for their newsletter, donate, or simply learn more 0:02:14.000 --> 0:02:19.000 at mdef dot org. And we definitely wanted to shout 0:02:19.000 --> 0:02:20.560 out these folks out because there are a lot of 0:02:20.560 --> 0:02:24.920 people around the country who are not in California. Maybe 0:02:24.919 --> 0:02:27.160 they're not connected to California, but they have an immigrant 0:02:27.240 --> 0:02:30.040 story or they just have a beating heart and they 0:02:30.080 --> 0:02:33.320 see the humanity in this moment. And we wanted to 0:02:33.320 --> 0:02:35.840 make sure that we went through and vetted an organization 0:02:36.919 --> 0:02:39.320 that you could donate to, even if you couldn't be 0:02:39.320 --> 0:02:41.960 on the ground protesting or helping out in a physical way, 0:02:41.960 --> 0:02:44.560 you could send money. And these folks have a full 0:02:44.639 --> 0:02:47.760 five oh one C three again, check out more and 0:02:47.840 --> 0:02:53.520 vet them yourselves. It's immdf dot org. That is Immigrant 0:02:53.520 --> 0:02:54.919 Defender's Laws Center. 0:02:55.919 --> 0:02:57.000 Okay, so. 0:03:00.400 --> 0:03:06.400 The conservative approach to immigration, Now, we talked a little 0:03:06.400 --> 0:03:07.880 bit about this in the first half of the show, 0:03:11.320 --> 0:03:16.400 and nothing is ever really cut and dry, but I 0:03:16.440 --> 0:03:24.720 think that oversimplifying immigration has really allowed for them to 0:03:26.200 --> 0:03:32.440 interject falsehoods into what is a normal immigrant story in 0:03:32.440 --> 0:03:36.600 this country. Donald Trump famously says they're sending their worst, 0:03:36.600 --> 0:03:39.600 their rapist, their murderers, that sort of stuff, right, And 0:03:39.680 --> 0:03:45.800 by simplifying an immigrant and distilling a human being down 0:03:45.840 --> 0:03:51.160 to simply a misdemeanor, they may have committed a paperwork 0:03:51.240 --> 0:03:59.680 violation by naming it something more alarming than what it 0:03:59.680 --> 0:04:01.920 actually is, which is again in many instances of the 0:04:01.920 --> 0:04:06.839 clerical violation. In other instances, it's simply a misdemeanor by 0:04:06.840 --> 0:04:12.600 calling those people criminals and then using that criminalization of 0:04:12.640 --> 0:04:17.080 them to justify denying them due process and to you know, 0:04:17.160 --> 0:04:20.599 kidnap them and sensationalize all of this stuff so that 0:04:20.640 --> 0:04:23.200 you can peddle it to your base to say, hey, look, 0:04:23.240 --> 0:04:25.280 I'm an effective leader. I'm getting all these criminals and 0:04:25.360 --> 0:04:28.000 rapists out of the country and it's not going to 0:04:28.040 --> 0:04:30.120 make any material changes to people's lives. I think you 0:04:30.160 --> 0:04:33.520 mentioned the first part of the show, Wendy, that you 0:04:33.560 --> 0:04:37.080 know people depend on immigrants. We all depend on immigrants. 0:04:37.560 --> 0:04:42.240 Immigrants pay taxes, so there's a tax implication there. Immigrants 0:04:42.240 --> 0:04:46.040 are a huge part of the workforce in many cities 0:04:46.120 --> 0:04:50.440 around the country, not just LA and these people are 0:04:50.440 --> 0:04:54.839 our people. They're fabric of our community and they didn't 0:04:54.920 --> 0:04:56.480 just come here last week. These are people that have 0:04:56.520 --> 0:05:02.719 been here decades, have children here, so forth. Right conservatives 0:05:02.800 --> 0:05:05.480 often overlook that part, but we need to speak to 0:05:05.760 --> 0:05:09.039 their talking points. So I will start with one that 0:05:09.120 --> 0:05:10.880 comes up quite a bit, and Que's going to help 0:05:10.920 --> 0:05:13.680 out of course, because Q and I went through this already. 0:05:14.320 --> 0:05:18.080 But what would you say to a person that says, well, 0:05:18.160 --> 0:05:20.279 you know what, they should have come here legally. 0:05:22.560 --> 0:05:24.400 Yeah, we get that question quite a bit in our 0:05:24.440 --> 0:05:25.119 comments section. 0:05:25.920 --> 0:05:26.960 I bet you do with. 0:05:27.360 --> 0:05:30.520 Our posts with roods and wings. Yeah. Okay, Well, let's 0:05:30.560 --> 0:05:32.440 break it down. What does it really take to become 0:05:32.839 --> 0:05:36.279 legal and get legal paperwork right? The last time the 0:05:36.360 --> 0:05:40.560 process was actually a process was during the Reagan administration. 0:05:41.120 --> 0:05:44.920 Since then, there has been no clear pathway, no one 0:05:45.120 --> 0:05:47.560 clear pathway, like here are the five steps you need 0:05:47.600 --> 0:05:53.080 to take to apply for citizenship, to apply for asylum, 0:05:53.400 --> 0:05:58.000 for example. So it is difficult. It is a difficult 0:05:58.080 --> 0:06:01.840 process that takes years. I know somebody who's been going 0:06:01.839 --> 0:06:06.120 through the process for ten years, ten years to get 0:06:06.120 --> 0:06:09.280 their paperwork in order right. That keeps being pushed back 0:06:09.320 --> 0:06:12.279 from the government. And then every four years we change 0:06:12.320 --> 0:06:15.440 the administration, so then the laws changed, the policy has changed. 0:06:15.880 --> 0:06:18.560 So what worked for you five years ago? Oh well 0:06:18.600 --> 0:06:21.159 now we got a new policy, so that's changed. So 0:06:21.200 --> 0:06:24.200 you might have already been in process with a certain 0:06:24.240 --> 0:06:27.600 policy five years ago, and then that changed, and now 0:06:27.720 --> 0:06:29.760 new policy, you got to start all over. This is 0:06:29.800 --> 0:06:32.520 why it takes people ten fifteen to twenty years, sometimes 0:06:32.800 --> 0:06:33.840 five years, six years. 0:06:33.920 --> 0:06:34.120 Right. 0:06:34.560 --> 0:06:37.719 Secondly, it's expensive. I don't know if you guys know 0:06:37.760 --> 0:06:41.880 how much an immigration attorney costs to fill out paperwork. Yeah, 0:06:42.000 --> 0:06:44.880 we're talking about in the thousands. I've heard people pay 0:06:44.880 --> 0:06:48.679 as much as ten thousand dollars, five thousand dollars for 0:06:48.839 --> 0:06:51.640 their immigration paperwork. And that's per person. Right, So if 0:06:51.680 --> 0:06:55.200 you have a mom and a dad and it's seven 0:06:55.240 --> 0:06:57.640 thousand dollars at the end of the day to get 0:06:57.640 --> 0:07:02.680 them through immigration paperwork, then we're talking about fourteen thousand dollars. 0:07:03.120 --> 0:07:05.479 What that's a lot of what these families make in 0:07:05.520 --> 0:07:09.479 two three years, right combined. So it takes a long time. 0:07:09.720 --> 0:07:13.720 Policies keep changing, there is not a clear pathway. Secondly, 0:07:14.320 --> 0:07:17.080 it's expensive. A lot of families can't afford it in 0:07:17.120 --> 0:07:22.360 the long run. Right. Apparently you can get citizenship and 0:07:22.760 --> 0:07:25.200 a green card if you have a million plus dollars 0:07:25.240 --> 0:07:28.800 and you just pay directly to Trump. Yeah, and you 0:07:28.840 --> 0:07:31.280 get that. What's it called the Golden nugget. 0:07:31.320 --> 0:07:32.280 The Golden ticket thing. 0:07:32.360 --> 0:07:34.680 Yeah, the Golden ticket thing, the Golden ticket thing. 0:07:34.760 --> 0:07:38.320 Right, I like the Golden nugget, go with that. 0:07:39.280 --> 0:07:42.040 I like it. Yeah, whatever, it's called. So there is 0:07:42.120 --> 0:07:45.000 a way to buy your citizenship if you're rich, right, 0:07:45.000 --> 0:07:47.360 And apparently you can also get amnesty by the way, 0:07:47.400 --> 0:07:50.440 if you know this, if you happen to be South 0:07:50.520 --> 0:07:56.480 African and white. Yeah, so there is an amnesty program 0:07:56.560 --> 0:07:59.920 for them because they're under attack in their country. Right, 0:08:00.160 --> 0:08:02.840 this is what we've been told. But for the man 0:08:02.880 --> 0:08:06.280 who's literally been working here for thirty years and has 0:08:06.320 --> 0:08:10.000 been paying his taxes and everything forever, and maybe even 0:08:10.040 --> 0:08:13.040 as trying to get his paperwork, maybe he's in process. 0:08:13.640 --> 0:08:17.720 If he shows up tomorrow for his trial at immigration court, 0:08:18.360 --> 0:08:20.880 he's going to get picked up by Ice. His case 0:08:20.960 --> 0:08:22.560 is going to be dismissed, and he's going to get 0:08:22.560 --> 0:08:25.600 picked up by ice and then sent back to wherever 0:08:25.600 --> 0:08:27.520 he came. So even people who were trying to do 0:08:27.560 --> 0:08:30.360 the right thing, who at this point have tried to 0:08:30.560 --> 0:08:34.440 follow the path, this is why people don't do it legally. 0:08:34.520 --> 0:08:38.040 There is no real way to do it legally, quote unquote. 0:08:38.520 --> 0:08:42.679 It's challenging. And you know what, Mexico's right next door, 0:08:44.080 --> 0:08:46.240 So you're going to have people that are going to 0:08:46.240 --> 0:08:48.200 figure out a way to come in. In fact, we 0:08:48.320 --> 0:08:50.599 used to have programs right that, but ASSETO program was 0:08:50.640 --> 0:08:53.440 a program that existed for many years where Mexico and 0:08:53.440 --> 0:08:57.160 the United States actually traded people to come over. So 0:08:57.200 --> 0:09:01.240 whenever the United States has needed labor, Mexico has raised 0:09:01.240 --> 0:09:03.560 their hand and said, okay, we'll send you some of 0:09:03.600 --> 0:09:06.600 our laborers, and then people came over and worked. To 0:09:06.679 --> 0:09:09.200 this day, there are sections of Tijuana where people just 0:09:09.200 --> 0:09:11.520 cross the border into the US work during the day, 0:09:11.520 --> 0:09:14.280 and they go back to tj And it's been peaceful 0:09:14.440 --> 0:09:18.680 up until now, up until recent times. But listen, there 0:09:18.679 --> 0:09:22.680 have been deportations happening through all of the administrations. So 0:09:22.720 --> 0:09:26.240 there were deportations happening, you know when Biden was in office. 0:09:26.280 --> 0:09:28.240 In fact, when Biden was in office, there were more 0:09:28.320 --> 0:09:31.240 deportations at this point than what has happened now with Trump. 0:09:31.800 --> 0:09:34.280 But the way in which it's being done is different. 0:09:35.080 --> 0:09:38.680 It is being done in a terrorising way. I cannot 0:09:38.720 --> 0:09:42.680 tell you the fear. I, as an American citizen, am 0:09:42.720 --> 0:09:45.880 in fear because I think I'm going to get stopped 0:09:45.920 --> 0:09:48.920 just because I look brown. I'm going to get stopped 0:09:49.320 --> 0:09:52.200 and asked where was I born? And if I can't 0:09:52.200 --> 0:09:55.480 come up with it immediately, then they start to question 0:09:55.600 --> 0:09:57.920 you and this is random. And when we have footage 0:09:57.920 --> 0:10:01.720 of people going to the swamp meet and just going 0:10:01.760 --> 0:10:04.839 about their day, American citizens shopping at the local swap meet, 0:10:04.840 --> 0:10:06.360 which out here in La r swap meets or where 0:10:06.400 --> 0:10:10.080 you get some of the best food. I'm the best merchandise, right, 0:10:10.400 --> 0:10:13.199 that's where you want to and there's ice all over 0:10:13.240 --> 0:10:16.120 the swap meat and stopping random people who look illegal. 0:10:16.160 --> 0:10:18.200 I don't know what you guys consider looking illegal, but 0:10:18.320 --> 0:10:20.760 look illegal, and then actually go up to them and 0:10:20.800 --> 0:10:22.240 ask them where were you born? Where were you born? 0:10:22.280 --> 0:10:25.000 What hospital were you born in? What city were you 0:10:25.040 --> 0:10:27.800 born in? One man got nervous because he was adopted, 0:10:27.840 --> 0:10:30.040 and he was like, I don't know, but I'm American citizen, 0:10:30.040 --> 0:10:31.840 but I don't know where you know, I don't actually 0:10:31.840 --> 0:10:34.640 know what hospital I was born in. These are questions 0:10:34.679 --> 0:10:37.360 just to throw them off, to get them to feel 0:10:37.760 --> 0:10:41.439 an intimidation. That's what's happening, is an intimidation. So if 0:10:41.480 --> 0:10:44.160 it was easy, everybody would do it. Trust me, everybody 0:10:44.160 --> 0:10:46.600 wants to be an American citizen. Is not easy. It's 0:10:46.679 --> 0:10:51.320 time consuming, the process is hard and keeps changing, and 0:10:51.400 --> 0:10:53.920 it takes a lot of money and or an attorney. 0:10:54.200 --> 0:10:56.320 That's why people don't do it the legal way. 0:10:57.679 --> 0:11:01.400 Well, I think it's intentionally complicated, because what we've now 0:11:01.640 --> 0:11:04.280 heard and learned that if you're rich and or white, 0:11:04.280 --> 0:11:08.760 it's actually quite simple. It's just intentionally complicated for everyone else. 0:11:09.240 --> 0:11:11.680 So they can check a box and decide that you 0:11:11.720 --> 0:11:13.280 don't fit, so we're going to get rid of you. 0:11:14.480 --> 0:11:16.800 It's a very very interesting thing to watch play out 0:11:16.840 --> 0:11:20.760 in real time and let them determine who's legal or 0:11:20.800 --> 0:11:24.920 criminal based on how they look. The first time I 0:11:24.960 --> 0:11:29.040 heard that, I exclaimed, and people told me I was 0:11:29.080 --> 0:11:32.520 being fearmongered too, and friends of mine gas lit me 0:11:33.120 --> 0:11:35.960 because every fear I had for my family became real 0:11:36.440 --> 0:11:39.200 on election day, because we knew this was happening. This 0:11:39.280 --> 0:11:42.240 was not some shock or some surprise that they did, 0:11:42.320 --> 0:11:45.840 you know, as some covert mission. The man campaigned on 0:11:45.920 --> 0:11:54.720 this idea. We've heard people, strangely enough, say that due 0:11:54.800 --> 0:12:01.640 process should be reserved for citizens, not criminal immigrants. What 0:12:01.720 --> 0:12:04.360 would you say to people who adopt that position? Forgive 0:12:04.440 --> 0:12:08.559 me for laughing, but it's to hide anger and frustration 0:12:08.880 --> 0:12:09.360 that I do. 0:12:09.400 --> 0:12:15.480 So Yes, no, thank you for that Every human being 0:12:16.040 --> 0:12:20.320 deserves due process. Every human being and is guaranteed it 0:12:21.000 --> 0:12:22.360 and is guaranteed it. Thank you. 0:12:22.840 --> 0:12:23.080 Yes. 0:12:24.120 --> 0:12:26.160 If you are standing in front of somebody and you're 0:12:26.200 --> 0:12:29.079 witnessing what is happening to them, and this is actually 0:12:29.120 --> 0:12:30.840 what's waking a lot of people up. Is when we 0:12:30.960 --> 0:12:33.840 witness it and it's right in front of us, or 0:12:33.840 --> 0:12:36.320 we're being shown video that we cannot turn away from 0:12:36.360 --> 0:12:39.320 because there's ten people videoing the same thing, and then 0:12:39.360 --> 0:12:42.520 you see it from ten different angles, you're starting to understand, 0:12:42.559 --> 0:12:45.120 oh crap, this is real. This is what's happening to people. 0:12:46.000 --> 0:12:52.800 People are being yanked, people are being killed, right, democratic 0:12:53.200 --> 0:12:57.839 lawmakers are being killed. This is actually what's happening. Every 0:12:57.880 --> 0:13:01.480 human being deserves due process. Every human being, every mother, 0:13:01.600 --> 0:13:05.120 every father, all of us can feel it in our hearts. 0:13:05.880 --> 0:13:09.679 And I think if more people were opening their eyes 0:13:09.760 --> 0:13:12.040 to this is the truth of what is really happening. 0:13:12.679 --> 0:13:16.960 Talk to someone who is an immigrant, talk to someone 0:13:17.000 --> 0:13:20.040 who knows someone who is married to someone whose uncle 0:13:20.080 --> 0:13:23.239 is an immigrant, whose father is an immigrant. Hear their stories. 0:13:23.320 --> 0:13:26.760 Because the more we humanize this, the more people will 0:13:26.760 --> 0:13:29.480 start to realize, oh crap, this is really happening. This 0:13:29.520 --> 0:13:32.680 is happening in our streets. This is happening in my family, 0:13:33.360 --> 0:13:35.360 this is happening in my neighborhood. And that's how we 0:13:35.400 --> 0:13:38.800 start to open people's eyes and open people's hearts to 0:13:38.920 --> 0:13:42.400 the reality. Yeah. Also, let me tell you, I've heard 0:13:42.440 --> 0:13:47.440 of a lot of businesses, privileged space, businesses, businesses in 0:13:47.559 --> 0:13:53.800 privileged spaces that are no longer, no longer supporting Trump supporters. 0:13:54.480 --> 0:13:57.040 So if you walk in with a Maga hat, you're 0:13:57.080 --> 0:13:57.920 being asked to leave. 0:13:59.679 --> 0:14:00.520 Good mm hmmm. 0:14:01.280 --> 0:14:03.520 This is starting to happen across the board. So yeah, 0:14:03.679 --> 0:14:06.360 for that, people are getting it and people are speaking up. 0:14:06.840 --> 0:14:11.720 Yeah. I kind of did a deep dive into Nazi 0:14:11.760 --> 0:14:19.040 Germany and the denazification of Germany in particular, and I 0:14:19.040 --> 0:14:21.920 I really do feel like, at some point in the future, 0:14:22.400 --> 0:14:24.560 because I now that I see how big it is 0:14:24.640 --> 0:14:27.080 and how insidious it is and how kind of evil 0:14:27.160 --> 0:14:31.720 it is and divisive, at some point this country is 0:14:31.760 --> 0:14:34.000 going to have to have a deep, deep, deep purge 0:14:34.560 --> 0:14:40.400 of trump Ism and Maga and so I and that 0:14:40.560 --> 0:14:43.240 and a lot of people are going to have to 0:14:43.280 --> 0:14:45.760 eat their words, and they got to come back down 0:14:45.800 --> 0:14:48.840 black people streets and brown people streets. You know, a 0:14:48.840 --> 0:14:52.520 lot of people that turn their noses up. So and 0:14:52.560 --> 0:14:56.800 then even you know, another thing that exists on the 0:14:56.840 --> 0:15:00.120 far right, and it's it's like well documented that it 0:15:00.160 --> 0:15:02.280 tends to exist in the far right more than it 0:15:02.320 --> 0:15:06.960 does on the left, on the right than it does 0:15:07.000 --> 0:15:11.080 on the left, especially so on the far right is 0:15:13.000 --> 0:15:17.200 sort of like conspiracy theory type of things, right, And 0:15:17.560 --> 0:15:21.600 these are things that you know, people have to confront 0:15:21.760 --> 0:15:25.160 in their workspaces, at home, around the dinner table with 0:15:25.200 --> 0:15:28.080 their racist uncle or with their Trump supporting grammars or 0:15:28.120 --> 0:15:30.880 whatever it is that they have to deal with, these 0:15:30.920 --> 0:15:34.360 people with conspiracies in their heads. So what would you 0:15:34.400 --> 0:15:41.680 say to people who say, you know, immigration is a 0:15:41.800 --> 0:15:45.720 leftist conspiracy to get more votes, get more bodies in 0:15:45.760 --> 0:15:48.080 the country, so these illegal immigrants can come into the 0:15:48.160 --> 0:15:49.160 United States and vote. 0:15:49.600 --> 0:15:53.680 What do you say to people that that's their truth? Yeah, 0:15:53.720 --> 0:15:57.480 I say, let's talk about history. California, the United States 0:15:57.480 --> 0:16:00.520 has always been full of immigrants. Are in country that 0:16:00.600 --> 0:16:04.200 is built on immigration, always and always has been. So 0:16:05.600 --> 0:16:08.000 there is no like new policy of We're going to 0:16:08.040 --> 0:16:10.440 bring in more immigrants so that we have more Democrats 0:16:10.480 --> 0:16:12.720 and then we get more votes. Right, we can also 0:16:12.760 --> 0:16:15.360 look at the fact that just because you get more immigrants, 0:16:15.400 --> 0:16:17.560 doesn't mean you're going to necessarily get the vote, because 0:16:17.560 --> 0:16:20.560 look at what happened with the Latino population. First of all, 0:16:20.600 --> 0:16:23.040 the Latino population is very, very diverse. I don't know 0:16:23.040 --> 0:16:27.400 if y' all know that. We're very diverse, right. Also, 0:16:27.520 --> 0:16:30.360 South Americans are different. If you talk to Venezuelin or 0:16:30.480 --> 0:16:34.120 a Colombian, they think slightly different. I'm from Guatemala. Most 0:16:34.120 --> 0:16:36.040 people are like, oh, what part of Mexico is that in. 0:16:36.080 --> 0:16:39.200 I'm like, it's another country. It's not in Mexico, it's 0:16:39.240 --> 0:16:41.160 Central America. So a lot of people don't even know, 0:16:41.440 --> 0:16:44.280 you know, what part of the world that's in. So 0:16:44.320 --> 0:16:47.320 we're very diverse. There's lots of different opinions, there's lots 0:16:47.320 --> 0:16:50.160 of different policies. Some of us come from countries that 0:16:50.200 --> 0:16:52.480 have been taken over by dictators. Some of us come 0:16:52.520 --> 0:16:55.760 from countries that experience civil war, like in Guatemala there 0:16:55.840 --> 0:16:58.600 was a civil war, very much funded by the United States, 0:16:58.600 --> 0:17:02.280 by the way, but that's another topic. So we have 0:17:02.600 --> 0:17:07.639 differing beliefs. We're not all a monolith. There's different cultural backgrounds, 0:17:07.680 --> 0:17:10.240 even different ways in which we speak Spanish. Some of 0:17:10.280 --> 0:17:12.399 us hate the term Hispanic. Some of us love it. 0:17:12.480 --> 0:17:14.520 Some of us use the term LATINX, some of us 0:17:14.520 --> 0:17:17.080 hate it Latina. I mean, have so many different ways 0:17:17.160 --> 0:17:19.560 right rasa, we don't even know what to call ourselves 0:17:19.600 --> 0:17:24.920 as a unifying force. So because of this, the differentiation 0:17:25.040 --> 0:17:27.760 in terms of how we see things, just because we're 0:17:27.800 --> 0:17:30.880 going to be a country of immigrants doesn't mean we're 0:17:30.880 --> 0:17:33.920 all going to vote in one particular way. This idea 0:17:34.000 --> 0:17:37.040 that oh well, let's stop letting immigrants in because if 0:17:37.040 --> 0:17:38.800 they all come in, then we're just going to become 0:17:38.840 --> 0:17:42.879 this democratic blue country, I think is a bunch of bs. 0:17:43.440 --> 0:17:45.720 People are coming from lots of different countries. We haven't 0:17:45.720 --> 0:17:48.159 even talked about Asian population, which by the way, is 0:17:48.200 --> 0:17:53.919 also being targeted by ICE. Vietnamese people, Cambodian people, parts 0:17:54.040 --> 0:17:58.959 of Los Angeles that have large immigration from East Asia 0:17:59.359 --> 0:18:02.440 are being target So ICE is showing up at nail salons. 0:18:02.640 --> 0:18:05.040 ICE is showing up at hair salons like places like that. 0:18:06.600 --> 0:18:08.960 So this is not just a Latino thing. This is 0:18:08.960 --> 0:18:11.439 an immigrant challenge. But what I say to them is 0:18:11.800 --> 0:18:13.560 we've always been a country of immigrants. I don't think 0:18:13.600 --> 0:18:15.719 you're going to stop immigration all of a sudden, and 0:18:15.760 --> 0:18:18.200 you're not going to stop immigration because you're going to 0:18:18.280 --> 0:18:21.280 realize eventually as a country that there are jobs that 0:18:21.359 --> 0:18:24.600 Americans simply are not willing to do, and we're going 0:18:24.640 --> 0:18:27.240 to start to experience the change in the economy. And 0:18:27.359 --> 0:18:32.200 although Trump I think wants to bankrupt Los Angeles and California, 0:18:32.680 --> 0:18:35.320 we pay a hell of a lot of money into 0:18:35.400 --> 0:18:40.119 the federal government. We are the fourth largest economy California, 0:18:40.359 --> 0:18:44.119 fourth largest economy in the world, in the world, guys, 0:18:44.119 --> 0:18:46.480 look up the statistic. It blew my mind. I was like, 0:18:46.520 --> 0:18:50.040 what California. Yep, the United States is first, but we're 0:18:50.119 --> 0:18:52.480 right there. We're not that far behind. For number four. 0:18:52.760 --> 0:18:54.600 You do not want to bankrupt us, and this will 0:18:54.640 --> 0:18:57.240 not bankrupt us. We will figure it out. We will 0:18:57.280 --> 0:19:01.160 fight our way to the top, and we will remember. 0:19:01.400 --> 0:19:02.600 We will, of course remember. 0:19:03.760 --> 0:19:05.240 I want to say this before you jump in Q. 0:19:05.359 --> 0:19:07.719 I want to make sure that I say that. Another 0:19:07.760 --> 0:19:09.560 thing that I think is important for people to remember 0:19:09.640 --> 0:19:12.520 is that you know, people that come across the border, 0:19:12.520 --> 0:19:14.119 because they make it seem like it's an invasion, like 0:19:14.160 --> 0:19:17.040 there's the borders wide open and they're just letting all 0:19:17.080 --> 0:19:19.359 these voters in or whatever. First off, it is not 0:19:19.359 --> 0:19:22.760 an invasion. That's a word that is sensationalized. But these 0:19:22.760 --> 0:19:26.359 people cannot vote. You know, you can't just come across 0:19:26.359 --> 0:19:28.159 the border and vote in the United States election. That 0:19:28.240 --> 0:19:31.000 doesn't work that way. You know, citizens vote, you know, 0:19:31.480 --> 0:19:34.199 outside of that, you don't vote. And for people to 0:19:34.240 --> 0:19:38.760 think that that's true again, you are kind of in 0:19:38.800 --> 0:19:46.119 the conspiracy theory, sort of part of part of your timeline. 0:19:46.200 --> 0:19:48.159 And you know, we're just here to remind you that 0:19:48.160 --> 0:19:49.160 that's just not a real thing. 0:19:49.240 --> 0:19:50.040 SOQ go ahead. 0:19:51.040 --> 0:19:55.159 You know, prior to this most recent election, voter fraud 0:19:55.240 --> 0:20:00.160 was a net zero right almost never ever, our election 0:20:00.359 --> 0:20:02.639 tend to be very very secure, except this last one 0:20:02.680 --> 0:20:04.919 where they rigged it. And the guy keeps saying on 0:20:05.000 --> 0:20:07.280 camera and microphones that they rigged it over and over 0:20:07.359 --> 0:20:10.040 again and nobody cares. But you know, we won't keep 0:20:10.080 --> 0:20:12.480 saying he rigged it because you know, people might be listening, 0:20:12.480 --> 0:20:14.720 and we don't want to give people the impression that 0:20:14.800 --> 0:20:17.679 the election was rigged. You know that Donald Trump and 0:20:17.680 --> 0:20:21.080 Elon Musk may have rigged the machines in the most 0:20:21.119 --> 0:20:24.280 recent election. We don't want to give that impression to 0:20:24.480 --> 0:20:29.280 people that they rigged the election, because you know, we 0:20:29.320 --> 0:20:34.240 would never say such a thing on the radio. Right, 0:20:35.840 --> 0:20:39.720 This has just been such an incredible experience and experiment 0:20:39.800 --> 0:20:41.520 for all of us. And I know our time is 0:20:42.720 --> 0:20:45.880 kind of windening down here. Any thoughts for people who 0:20:45.960 --> 0:20:48.760 have kind of just lost hope and the things that 0:20:48.800 --> 0:20:52.480 are supposed to protect us and the idea resilience that 0:20:52.520 --> 0:20:54.000 we're supposed to have that there's a light at the 0:20:54.080 --> 0:20:56.680 end of the tunnel, Like, if there was a wear 0:20:56.800 --> 0:20:59.479 from here, what direction would you point us in? 0:21:00.640 --> 0:21:06.679 Yeah, we're from here. Community unity, Yeah, I like that. Yeah. 0:21:06.840 --> 0:21:10.080 We protect ourselves, we protect each other, and we come 0:21:10.119 --> 0:21:15.640 together more unified than ever. Community is the medicine. Community 0:21:15.680 --> 0:21:18.000 is the antidote to what we're experiencing right now. 0:21:19.240 --> 0:21:22.439 Well, I uh, I'm not going to disagree with you, 0:21:22.520 --> 0:21:27.080 because one of the things that Q often tells me 0:21:27.160 --> 0:21:32.399 whenever we end up in a new city supporting some 0:21:32.440 --> 0:21:35.080 civil rights organization or you know, we're there to speak 0:21:35.160 --> 0:21:37.359 or to do a live show or something like that, 0:21:38.160 --> 0:21:40.720 is we get out of our studio where it's just 0:21:40.800 --> 0:21:43.639 me and him, and we get around people who feel 0:21:43.640 --> 0:21:45.719 the same way, so we know we're not alone. And 0:21:45.760 --> 0:21:47.600 these people have great ideas and they help us with 0:21:47.640 --> 0:21:50.280 our ideas and so forth, and that community really does matter, 0:21:50.320 --> 0:21:52.959 and it fortifies us and it helps us remain strong. 0:21:53.000 --> 0:21:58.400 And so those are absolutely wise words and words that 0:21:58.480 --> 0:22:01.080 we intend to live by. So with that in mind, 0:22:01.800 --> 0:22:04.160 we're going to leave it right here. Thank you very much, 0:22:04.200 --> 0:22:06.800 Wendy for taking the time to hang out with us. 0:22:06.960 --> 0:22:09.280 A real quick shout out your social media, as, your podcast, 0:22:09.560 --> 0:22:11.440 your website, all that, Yeah. 0:22:11.400 --> 0:22:13.280 Thank you so much. You can find me on Instagram 0:22:13.400 --> 0:22:17.320 at Wendyamara. My website is Wendyamara dot com, and you 0:22:17.320 --> 0:22:19.840 can find the podcast everywhere that you listen to podcasts. 0:22:19.880 --> 0:22:22.480 It's called Yes, Movehead, build it. 0:22:23.080 --> 0:22:24.040 And don't forget. 0:22:24.040 --> 0:22:27.320 You can find us on all social media at Civic 0:22:27.400 --> 0:22:29.880 Cipher and be sure to hit civicipher dot com. That's 0:22:29.880 --> 0:22:31.919