The Right-Wing Immigration Debate Has Gone Off The Rails

Anyone working the immigration beat saw this coming and tried to warn the immigrants who took sides with the far-right

Photo by Matteo Paganelli on Unsplash

The inevitable has happened. Immigrants who took sides with MAGA are now finding out that the people they allied with are not interested in protecting them – something Republican congressional candidate Valentina Gomez has yet to realize. Gomez, who led a failed bid to become Missouri’s Secretary of State earlier this year, announced she was moving to Texas and plans to primary Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX-02) for his House Seat in 2026.

Gomez recently posted a video on X (formerly Twitter) calling for “public executions for any illegal that rapes or kills an American.” Members of the news media, prominent immigrant rights groups, and members on both sides of the political aisle have broadly condemned the video. The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the nation's oldest and largest Latino civil rights organization said the video “glorifies the type of vigilantism that has led to deadly consequences in our nation”.

Valentina Gomez posted a mock execution video of her shooting a Latino immigrant

"LULAC denounces violent crime in our nation and expresses its deepest condolences to its victims and their loved ones," says Roman Palomares, national president and chairman of the board. "However, we believe in the Christian principles of justice, not retribution. Using public executions as a hook to a politically motivated message fuels blind hatred. This kind of language is intended to appeal to an extreme base of individuals who believe the lie that all immigrants are here to harm others."

Gomez, the Colombian-born MAGA acolyte, is no stranger to controversy. She has made countless over-the-top statements and videos that make her a wildly unattractive candidate for political office among conservatives, even among the more extreme political pundits. But the “leopards ate my face” immigration discussion doesn’t stop there. Recent posts on social media from Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy, and Laura Loomer (among others) expose how out of touch they are and how little they know about the U.S. immigration system.

Founder of Playground AI calling out racism in the Indian community

The debate also exposed immigrants who took sides with the white nationalist nature of Trump’s campaign to the reality that they will not be protected by racists and bigots simply because they used racist and bigoted language against many nonwhite communities. As someone who covers the immigration beat and an advocate for humane border policies, I have personally been slandered and called a “spic” many times by South Asian immigrants even though I speak up for them as often as I do for any immigrant group.

But because I know so many cool people from all over the world, I do not let it deter me.

This brings us back to many immigrants finding out about how little the racists and bigots they support care for them prompting many Indian immigrants to speak out about the problem of racism within their community. While the focus on immigration was on Latino immigrants during both Harris’ and Trump’s campaigns, what broader society doesn’t realize is that it’s not solely a Latino issue. Immigration encompasses vast racial and ethnic communities in the U.S.

Neera Tanden calls out anti-Indian racism in the Republican Party

However, when it comes to Musk and Ramaswamy, the conversation took a turn as they admonished U.S.-born citizens for not being as productive as skilled immigrants. As expected, white people took major offense to their statements suggesting the two men, who are immigrants themselves, were targeting white people only, instead of broader U.S. society. This brought out Laura Loomer who is often seen by Donald Trump’s side.

Loomer targeted Musk who later restricted her account and removed features such as her subscribers, verification, and monetization. According to Loomer, Musk restricted her access because she “called out H1B visas” while screeching about being censored. Meanwhile, it seems that she, like many immigrants and children of immigrants, is realizing that this is what she voted for.

In other words, the infighting over the immigration issue has reached comical proportions.

Laura Loomer lost her marbles on Elon Musk

But it goes even further because many immigrants and children of immigrants who voted for Trump are undoubtedly stunned by the discourse on social media. Latinos who voted for Trump are certainly coming to the realization that they voted against themselves and their families – if not, they will be soon. Despite Trump and his cabinet picks making it clear that being here legally – or being a citizen – made no difference to them and seeing how some prominent MAGA figures are being targeted, it makes it clear that they are on his list of targets too.

Alejandro Villegas calling out MAGA voters

For Trump and his white nationalist agents of white supremacy, the discussion about immigration was always about the so-called “browning of America” and fears of the racist and antisemitic “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory. An idea that has them believing there is a concerted effort to make white people extinct. Yes, it’s as ridiculous as it sounds.

Conversations about “skilled” immigrants are subjective and largely racist

While we tried to warn nonwhite immigrants and their descendants about voting for Trump, their realization came a little too late for them and the rest of us. As comical as the infighting is, what we are witnessing is just how dangerous of an environment is being set up for immigrants from all walks of life. For MAGA, it’s about keeping America white and not much else.

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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, consider becoming a paid subscriber or donate on Venmo, PayPal, or CashApp