Opinion: Someone Tell Democrats That Conservatives Will Never Vote For Them

Democrats continue to risk alienating their voters to seemingly appease a voting bloc that will never vote for them

Photo by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash

The 119th Congress started with Democrats maintaining the path that cost them so many elections in 2024. Appeasing Republican arguments on trans rights, acting pro-gun, and even taking a hard line on immigration after abandoning so many issues that got them elected in 2020 has proven to be a losing strategy. So why are Democrats voting alongside far-right Republicans if not to try and appease the GOP base and not their own?

There is no question that immigration has been a flash point. But most of that is derived from lies and misinformation perpetuated by far-right extremist politicians. And while the news media deserves much of the blame for allowing things to be said without fact-checking them, Democrat lawmakers haven’t put forth much of an effort either.

Rather than continue the winning strategy of a few years ago that relied largely on debunking far-right propaganda, it seems appeasement is the scheme moving forward and that’s scary for every marginalized group. Treating the white Christian nationalist’s bigoted grievance as valid is the first step in normalizing those beliefs. It can often leave others thinking, “Well, they wouldn’t address it if it isn’t true. They’re not even debunking it, so it must be.”

I’ve been covering the latest Democrat shift to the right since I noticed it after President Biden was elected and started abandoning many of his campaign promises. I’ve also been covering the problematic nature of Republican legislation since the start of the new session. To say the bills are poorly written is an understatement. Not only have they tried codifying into law what has already been legislated, but the bills presented so far also open the possibilities of abuse and put women, children, and marginalized people at greater risk.

Numerous members of the Democrat Party highlighted these issues and yet, many Democrat lawmakers still voted with Republicans on far-right, bigoted, and dare I say, racist legislation. Such was the case on Friday when nearly a dozen Democrats voted to advance the Laken Riley Act ensuring its passage once it goes back to the House. Yet another strange strategic move that can only be explained by some Democrats appeasing conservatives in their districts in fear of losing in the upcoming midterms and beyond.

Sens. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), and Mark Warner (D-VA) voted in favor of the bill. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) did not vote after declaring his support for the bill putting Dreamers at risk after saying he would never vote to put Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients in danger.

What makes the Laken Riley Act different from the Preventing Violence Against Women by Illegal Aliens Act and the Protecting Women and Girls in Sports Act of 2025 is that it attempts to create new rules for how immigration is handled by giving states unprecedented power. It also moves to incarcerate any migrant who is simply accused– not charged or convicted – of crimes as simple as shoplifting.

Essentially, it strips migrants of constitutional rights afforded to them.

The bill will deprive ICE of its discretion to release certain undocumented immigrants who are taken into immigration custody if they've ever been arrested but not necessarily charged and it allows state attorneys general to sue to order detentions and deportations and to block visas from any countries they specify, like India or China, for example. Despite the myriad questions of constitutionality, many Democrats still voted in favor of the bill.

To be clear, a migrant’s right to due process and equal protection under the law is defined in the U.S. Constitution just as the federal government’s sole authority over immigration is dictated by the Supremacy Clause. Detaining migrants for simply being accused of something flies in the face of more than a century of precedent in a so-called “nation of laws”.

While Democrats offered dozens of amendments to the bill to try and make more sense of it, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) refused to take up all but two. The only one that was adopted added assault of a law enforcement officer to the list of charges migrants can be accused of to be detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Many law enforcement agencies, including ICE, spoke out against the bill because none have the funding or resources to detain migrants for such frivolous reasons. ICE estimated it would need an additional $27 billion to enforce the bill in just the first year. Add in the additional estimates for mass deportations at nearly $1 trillion over ten years, this measure is yet another boon to the private prison industry which is set to receive billions in additional profits with the incoming administration.

If this sounds familiar it’s because everything from the current political environment to the manufactured-by-the-media panic is identical to what led to the 1994 Crime Bill that created our current system of mass incarceration. Rather than address or reform the criminal justice system as once promised, these and every other anti-immigrant bill offered over the last year add to that problem as the owners of a system that exploits labor get richer.

It appears the “big tent” party is keen on putting more communities at risk with anti-immigrant legislation that targets Latinos more than anyone. As I’ve mentioned, anytime immigration comes up, the focus is on Latinos as the context always revolves around Latin American and Caribbean Island nations. Lawmakers, the news media, far-right commentators, hate groups, and now, Democrats are driving the conversation in this fashion.

Rather than push back on the slow descent into fascism, it seems now that the strategy is to open the door and usher it in.

The message to Democrats who keep voting with far-right lawmakers should be clear: Instead of trying to appease people who will never vote for someone with a “D” next to their name, you should focus on expanding and growing the base and not alienating swaths of it. Take a page from your unwavering colleagues, do it for all of us.

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I’m a freelance journalist. Find my work at Latino Rebels, Unicorn Riot, The Antagonist Magazine, and more. I’m also on TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, and Threads. To support my work, become a paid subscriber or donate via Venmo, PayPal, or CashApp.