SOMOS REPUBLICANS Official Statement based on Florida GOP primary election results

For Immediate Release
February 1, 2012

Contact: Communications
info@somosrepublicans.com

FLORIDA 2012 PRIMARY ELECTION STATEMENT

We were hoping our Cuban American and Puerto Rican brothers would disregard their leadership lead to support anti-immigrant Mitt Romney. The Florida primary results show the total disregard a good majority of Cuban Americans have for conservative Mexican Americans, South Americans, and Central Americans who aspire, like Cuban Americans, to be an integral part of this country. This vote shows the lack of solidarity with the majority of Latinos, even while Cuban Americans and Puerto Rican serve themselves with the big spoon when it is time to distribute the political and economic/business opportunities/leverage generated by the critical mass of Latinos, mainly Mexican Americans (65%), but also Central Americans and South Americans. These latter don’t have the same opportunities of citizenship that Cuban Americans and Puerto Ricans enjoy, and thus, in general, Cuban American put aside the priorities of the majority of Latinos. For a long time we have put the Latino agenda in the hands of Cuban Americans, and look where we are. It has been a tremendous disaster; we could not be more despised and disadvantaged in this country, in spite of our numbers and great contributions.

The overwhelming vote of Cuban Americans and Puerto Ricans for anti-Latino immigrant Mitt Romney should open the eyes of conservative Latino Republicans not belonging to the Cuban and Puerto Rican communities, to the fact that we do not count on their support for our political, economic/business agenda, and thus, they should not count on us, except on a previously negotiated basis on which we, Mexican Americans, hold our votes and power in the hands of our own leadership. For this, we must accelerate the pace to build this Mexican American leadership that this major ethnic group needs to hold to represent the interests of its constituency within the Republican party. No more leaving our issues in the hands of other “Latinos”. If the Republican Party wants the votes of the largest Latino Group, Mexican Americans, and its brothers Central and South Americans, they will need to negotiate with us, not with Cuban or Puerto Rican Americans. In Light of the Cuban American leadership support for anti Latino immigrant Mitt Romney (“illegal immigrant” is a code word for Latino immigrants, and Cuban Americans fool themselves if they think the Latino haters do not put us all in the same basket – as as small sample, you just had to hear the expressions of disgust within the Georgia Republican party when Mel Martinez was head of the RNC; Latino students at GA state reported that a professor coming from Florida said in class, in front of all the students, that Miami was a third world country infested with Cubans).

We welcome the friendship and brotherhood of those few Cubans and Puerto Ricans who embrace us, and who will accept our rightful leadership role. The Republican Party should know, and we will make it evident through our organization and future coalitions, that we will not align with Cuban Americans and Puerto Ricans any longer, except when there are clear mutual interests, and that Mexican Americans no longer consider themselves represented within the party by Cuban Americans and Puerto Ricans. If the Republican Party wants the Mexican American community’s support, the by far largest Latino group, they need to have one of us, Mexican American.

Republicans must acknowledge that if Mexican Americans are marginalized, we will not fulfill our potential as a key pillar to America’s economic and political future in the world. America will be poor if Mexican Americans are poor and powerless. We will not allow this. To the innuendo and racist rhetoric through the construction of code-alkaloid language such as “illegals” and “Anchor babies”, we will respond with harder work, greater love for this country, and greater organization. We will not give up the Republican Party because these are our values, but we will support only those who embrace us. We will identify and clearly explain to Republicans that they have substituted Republican values for hate, and that the “hate coalition” which has taken over the party uses hate to hide and distract from the fact that they are big spenders, big government, big brother policy. They use a minor civil violation to dehumanize “some” immigrants. Those who call themselves Reaganites do not belong in the immigrant hate coalition. We Mexican Americans are more than willing to work hard to contribute to build the bright future of this country, and warmly embrace all of those who embrace us. Likewise, we will be well aware of those who do not.

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Hispanic Republicans to Florida Senator Marco Rubio — Stay out, you are just as anti-DREAM Act as Romney

CNN BREAKING NEWS:  Senator Marco Rubio is telling Newt Gingrich campaign to pull anti-immigrant Romney ads.

We suspect it is because Marco Rubio wants Romney to make him his Vice Presidential Candidate when every Mexican-American in the southwest and the midwest knows that Marco Rubio supported Arizona’s harsh anti-immigrant law and Rubio also does not support the DREAM Act. Rubio is not in support of immigrants and the people, and believe Rubio is vying for the VP spot.

Sorry, Mr. Rubio, but Mitt Romney IS anti-immigrant and IS anti-Latino when he promised to veto the DREAM Act.  What business does Rubio have in meddling in primary races?  Rubio of Florida is going to end up being a one-term junior Senator. Our Puerto Rican friends will ensure it.

Marco Rubio has the audacity to attack Newt for being a progressive when it was Mitt Romney via RomneyCare who started ObamaCare?  The hypocrisy of Rubio is disgusting.

Here Rubio’s hypocrisy here.

SOMOS REPUBLICANS (Largest Hispanic GOP group in nation) announces Florida Leadership

We are happy to announce our new spokesperson and leader for the State of Florida.

We want to take a moment to congratulate Cynthia Arevalo who resides near Miami, Florida.  She is a well respected lawyer and immigrant advocate.  She supports Newt Gingrich for 2012.   We know and understand how crucial the Latino vote is in Florida.

Javier Manjarres (Tea Party blogger) says amnesty for some but not for all.

Javier Manjarres is a mere blogger at Shark Tank world in Florida.   He is a tea party extremist that is not happy with SOMOS REPUBLICANS (SR) because SR has been a strong advocate of legal immigration reform. We believe he is envious that SR managed to become the largest Hispanic Republican group in the nation during a difficult era that is anti-immigrant / anti-Latino. He is livid that we asked Marco Rubio to take back his anti-immigrant stances.  Marco Rubio will not support the DREAM Act.

Javier claims we are for amnesty, however, he is silent with regard to Cuban-Americans enjoying their unique amnesty privilege via the the Cuban Adjustment Act (wet-foot/dry-foot policy). Living in Florida, will Javier take a position to the CAA and the one year of entitlements?  We believe Javier and several mainstream Republicans are unaware of this unique amnesty afforded to Cuban-Americans, and it is hypocritical for Marco Rubio to take an enforcement only position when his own family was given this compassion.  Cuban-Americans who come here are on probation for about a year, and they receive government entitlements for that year, however,  SR is not asking for entitlements as part of the solution to fixing the broken immigration system.

Immediately Manjarres loses credibility because he believes we are for amnesty.  Our position paper clearly dictates otherwise with our 12 steps to border security and legal immigration reform. In addition with his untruths with regard to calling us an amnesty group, he makes the assumption that moveon.org/Soros will take over SOMOS REPUBLICANS soon, and this is his desperate attempt to paint the largest Latino Republican group in the nation as “phony”.

Furthermore, Javier doesn’t know a thing about Latino Republican outreach.  If he was truly reaching out to the Latino people in an effort to win their hearts, then he would be involved at the immigration rallies.  Fact is: He can’t reach out to Latinos at immigration rallies because he would be kicked out and booed.

According to the WSJ, the immigration issue is the number one issue for Latinos.  Javier would rather reach out to CPAC, and other tea party extremists such as Ann Coulter (on the record for referring to Muslims as “towel heads”), and Allen West where he wanted to hire a radio show host who is on the record for advocating the “hanging of illegal immigrants”.  [See Javier's other "Shark Tank" blog here where you will see tea party supporters listed on his main page.]

Javier Manjarres is upset with us because he is a tea party and Marco Rubio apologist and SR has taken a position against Tea Party restrictionist who claim to be for capitalism but really are not when it comes to the issue of immigration and solving the clearly broken system.

SR indeed was interviewed by UNIVISION which you can see here, and you will find that we explain to the UNIVISION audience that Marco Rubio was wrong to attribute the drug violence to “just Mexico” when he supported a harsh anti-immigrant law in Arizona…even though clearly his own brother-in-law was involved in one of the largest drug trafficking schemes and the death of a federal informant who was dismembered in Florida — a non-border state.  We asked Marco Rubio to retract his support for Arizona’s SB 1070 law, and his anti-immigrant enforcement only policy stance.  We fully explain our position here.

CARLOS GIMENEZ — Feeding Off Taxpayers

CARLOS GIMENEZ IS LIVING LARGE. FEEDING OFF THE GOVERNMENT TROUGH.

From Miami, Florida – We’ll sue if Florida passes Arizona-style law

From the Palm Beach Post:

By LAURA WIDES-MUNOZ

The Associated Press

Posted: 6:03 p.m. Thursday, April 21, 2011

The Florida Immigrant Advocacy Center along with the American Civil Liberties Union plan sue the state immediately if the Legislature passes either of two pending immigration bills in the House and the Senate, the nonprofit said Thursday.

Immigrant advocates say components of the House bill closely resemble the very ones in Arizona’s new immigration law that a federal appeals court recently upheld were unconstitutional.

Florida’s House bill would authorize local law enforcement to check out the immigration status of anyone under investigation, even if the individual had never been arrested. And it would allow local officers to check the immigration status whenever they suspected someone is in the country illegally. The House bill also requires employers to use the federal government’s E-Verify work authorization program.

“Some of our legislators are trying to push forward bills that would have devastating effects on the state,” said executive director Cheryl Little during a news conference with community leaders and the ACLU. She said it will make immigrants already fearful of law enforcement more afraid of cooperating with local officials.

“If one of these bills becomes law, FIAC is ready to sue,” she added.

The Senate bill is more limited, but it still requires local law enforcement check the immigration status of inmates, encouraging them to go beyond simply using federal criminal and immigration databases. The Senate bill would also allow businesses to let employees use a driver’s license as proof they are authorized to work, instead of the E-Verify program.

Supporters of stronger immigration enforcement say the Senate version of the bill is worthless because driver licenses from other states are too easy to forge and won’t prove work eligibility.

The Advocacy Center’s attorneys said they were dumbfounded that Florida Rep. William Snyder, R-Stuart, would propose a bill that includes provisions so close to the Arizona measures that have been blocked.

Attorney Tania Galloni added that the Florida House provision for allowing state criminal judges to decide whether individuals are in the country illegally for sentencing purposes directly usurps federal immigration judges’ authority and would also likely be held unconstitutional.

Manny Fernandez, a Miami-based attorney and member of the group Somos Republicanos, which fought the legislation in Arizona, described the House bill as a thinly veiled effort to energize a core group of voters whom he said do not represent the majority of the state — nor even the state’s Republican Party.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/state/activists-well-sue-if-fla-passes-ariz-style-1423867.html?printArticle=y

Open Letter to Florida State Senator Anitere Flores

Open Letter by Manny Fernandez to Florida State Senator – Anitere Flores who sponsored the anti-immigrant SB 2040 bill.

Anitere,as a proud Hispanic conservative member of the GOP and a past supporter of your campaigns for office, I reached out to you several months ago and warned that you might be doing irreparable damage to the Republican Party and the State of Florida if you allowed the extremists in the GOP, including Senator Hardipolos, Representative Snyder and Governor Scott, to control the debate on immigration issues.  I even warned you about the potential for a number of “rallies in Tally”. You obviously decided not to heed my warning.

I wish I could have been there to see a contingent led by Subhash Kateel storm Senator Hardipolis’ office in Talahassee earlier today and demand to be heard on all of the Arizona copycat laws on which the legislature is continuing to carry the water for the Governor.  NOW, THAT IS DEMOCRACY IN ACTION.   I am beeming with pride about what an alliance of pro-immigration activists, including both Republicans and Democrats, were able to accomplish today.  Although I already knew that the Michelle Bachmanns, Russell Pearces and Virgil Pecks of this have their own bizarre constructs on what fealty to the United States Constitution may mean, I was deeply saddened to see that many of my Cuban-American friends in the State legislature were willing to join them in changing the placard on the Statue of Liberty from one welcoming the poor, tired, huddled masses yearning to be free to “SCRAM”.

From my perspective, doing the right thing will never require you to abandon your conservative principles.  In fact, if you think that your conservative principles are at odds with the right thing, you probably ought to question whether those are truly conservative principles.  As the GOP continues to lose ground among Hispanics because of its hard line on any immigration (not just illegal immigration), it is ironic to recall that Ronald Reagan and George Bush eloquently and passionately argued that the denial of opportunities to the children f undocumented immigrants is not part of the solution to the repair of our nation’s broken immigration laws during a debate some thirty-one (31) years ago (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ixi9_cciy8w&feature=player_embedded).  Those men were “Dreamers”.  They saw the immigration issue through the prism of economic necessity, equality of opportunity, family values and fiscal conservatism to which today’s GOP pays lip service instead of homage.  There has to be a better way.  Perhaps it is time for a refresher course on conservatism. We, at Somos Republicans, would be pleased to provide you with one free of charge.

While I had been one of your supporters in the past, I believe that, as the Chair of the Judiciary Committee, you have to be held accountable for your failure to provide appropriate leadership on the immigration debate.  This debate did not need to get out of hand, but it did.  That happened on your watch despite the fact that I warned you repeatedly that if the GOP followed Rick Scott’s lead on these issues there would be hell to pay.  I did not have to exhume Nostradamus to arrive at such a conclusion.       I hope that today’s events have taught you and the rest of the GOP a lesson and that we will soon find that all of the Arizona copycat legislation is being deep sixed.  Otherwise, I might have to give up my lucrative career as a lawyer to run for your seat next year.

Best regards.

Manny Fernandez

Cuban Republicans in Florida speak out against Florida anti-immigrant laws

Somos Republicans is taking aim at a number of Arizona-style immigration proposals filed by Florida state lawmakers below:

· SB 2040 – Sen. Anitere Flores (Senate Judiciary Committee)
· SB 136 – Sen. Michael Bennett
· SB 518 – Sen. Alan Hays
· SB 230 – Sen. Nancy Detert
· SB 1896 – Sen. Greg Evens
· HB 205 – Rep. Kenneth Roberson
· HB 237 – Rep. Trudi Williams
· PCB JDC 11-01 – Rep. William Snyder

We are particularly disappointed in Senator Anitere Flores for showing her incompetence for introducing an Arizona-style anti-immigrant law. We believe she is wasting tax payer monies and resources by using Committees and the Senate floor to serve as a type of show room. A fiscally responsible thing to do is to wait to introduce anti-immigrant laws after the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals makes their decision with regard to U.S. v. Arizona.

One of SOMOS REPUBLICANS leaders, Manny Fernandez is a Cuban Republican who speaks against Floridian’s anti-immigrant laws that will more than likely hurt Property value.

The GOP’s March to Folly

THE GOP’S MARCH TO FOLLY

By Manny Fernandez

A little over a year ago, I read an op-ed piece that two Democratic pollsters, Patrick Caddell and Douglas Schoen had written in The Washington Post (If Democrats ignore health-care polls, midterms will be costly, Washington Post, March 12, 2010). The Washington insiders alluded to Barbara Tuchman’s book, “The March of Folly” in which she questions why “holders of high office so often act contrary to the way reason points and enlightened self-interest suggests” and posited that the Democratic Party leadership would pay a very heavy price for efforts to enact health-care reform legislation despite the massive opposition to the new entitlement signaled by, among other things, the election of Scott Brown to the “Kennedy seat” in Massachusetts. Ironically, I picked up Caddell and Schoen’s piece as I was returning to Miami from Washington after a meeting with Michael Steele and other members of the RNC leadership in Washington, D.C. which I had attended with a number of other conservative activists from the Hispanic-American community.

During the course of our delegation’s meeting with the RNC, a number of us emphasized the importance of the GOP adopting a more nuanced position on immigration and explained that many Hispanic-Americans see immigration reform as an issue that should be embraced by the party of family values and fiscal conservatism. We discussed economic justifications for a guest-worker program and the need for a path to citizenship for the undocumented immigrants in the United States who have not been found guilty of felonious acts. On the issue of recruitment of minority candidates, we discussed our concerns about the Republican Senate Finance Committee recruiting Charlie Crist and endorsing the then well-liked Florida governor to run for the United States Senate seat vacated by Mel Martinez without considering what effect that might have on the future of an up and coming politician like Marco Rubio. Our group left Washington, D.C. with a commitment that the RNC would consider commemorating the ten year anniversary of the repatriation of Elian Gonzalez to Cuba by holding an event at the Freedom Tower in Miami, a place synonymous our nation’s commitment to the acceptance of immigrants, to announce a “Freedom Tower Compact” on immigration reform that would form part of a strategy for bringing conservative Hispanic-American voters into the GOP fold.

Although the RNC left us high and dry on the Freedom Tower Compact and the GOP did poorly among Hispanic-Americans in the midterm election, the Democrats still took the beating at the polls that Caddell and Schoen foretold last Spring. Unfortunately, it seems to be completely lost on the GOP that were it not for the tea-party movement’s promotion of several weak candidates, including Sharon Angle in Nevada and Christine O’Donnell a/k/a Samantha Stevens in Delaware, and the GOP allowing a back-bench politician from the Arizona legislature like Russell Pearce to pick up traction in supporting Arizona’s misguided immigration law, the GOP might have garnered enough Hispanic-American support to control of both houses of Congress right now.
The truth of the matter is that the GOP seems so intent on appeasing the most racist and xenophobic elements of the tea party movement that there is no such thing as a statement too outrageous for a politician to make. As a pro-life Catholic, I find the use of terms like “anchor baby” and “birth tourism” by politicians like Mitch McConnell and Michelle Bachman morally indefensible; moreover, as a conservative attorney who believes that the United States Constitution is a document to which politicians should pay something more than lip service, I find their attempts to amend the Fourteenth Amendment to deny citizenship to the children of undocumented immigrants, at best, intellectually dishonest. I cannot describe proposals like the Arizona-style immigration law introduced into the Florida House by Representative Mark Snyder which – get this — exempts Europeans and Canadians, as anything other than racist. Consequently, I cannot even begin to describe my feelings about Virgil Peck, the Kansas Representative who last week said that the United States should consider placing snipers in helicopters to shoot individuals trying to enter the country illegally as though they were feral hogs.
I wonder how my Cuban-American brothers in sisters in the Florida legislature can even debate proposals like an Arizona-style immigration law knowing that vile individuals like Virgil Peck are behind them. I wonder what would have happened if Peck had said what he said about shooting balseros in the Straits of Florida? In any event, at a time when the GOP is in desperate need of a hero who will become a leader in the fight for immigration reform, I see nothing but politicians, Florida’s former governor, Jeb Bush, who is married to a Mexican woman and spent most of his life in Florida and Texas where the contributions of Hispanic-Americans to the rich tapestry that is the American experience are self-evident, is the rare exception. He has not been shy about taking the party’s leadership to task on the immigration issue. The very survival of the GOP may very well depend upon him running for President in 2012.