General Discussion

Many right-wing politically-active whites have a paradigm for Latinos best described as “temporary white people.” Let me describe it: Latinos are welcomed and are allowed to think themselves possessed of the same status and privileges as Euro-American possess in times of crisis, but afterwards get crammed back into their second-class status after the right-wing whites think that whatever crisis has passed.

This trend was in place in the 40’s and 50’s when Latino troops weren’t crammed into segregated units like they might have been during World War One.

More recently, right-wing politicians in Texas and other states welcome socially-conservative Latino voters into the Republican Party when their votes are needed, then stiff them after elections when budgets are cut, anti-DEI campaigns are launched, and many native-born Latinos find themselves being harassed by the ICE and other agencies after they Republican/Conservative (reactionary) party gets a solid lock on the state and federal government. Texas is but one example: so are Oklahoma, Florida, and other red states where Latinos have a significant presence. The Trump administration is an example on the national scale.