The Hispanic and Latino community is becoming a contentious voting demographic in the 2022 midterms. Thursday, Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL-27) tweeted that "Hispanics are law-abiding, God-fearing, hardworking people" who are "rejecting the extremist, socialist policies of the radical Democrats."
I was born and raised in Miami — the daughter of Cuban political refugees.
Hispanics are law-abiding, God-fearing, hardworking people who are REJECTING the extremist, socialist policies of the radical Democrats.
We want more freedom, not socialism.
— María Elvira Salazar 🇺🇸 (@MaElviraSalazar) September 23, 2022
"I was born and raised in Miami — the daughter of Cuban political refugees. Hispanics are law-abiding, God-fearing, hardworking people who are REJECTING the extremist, socialist policies of the radical Democrats. We want more freedom, not socialism," Rep. Salazar states.
Amidst the normal peanut gallery that accompanies a political representative's tweets, one tweet response by Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ-03) certainly stands out. Rep. Gallego accuses Salazar of not caring about "Cuban political refugees coming to this country now." Additionally, Gallego calls Salazar "hypocritical" for bringing prominence to her parents' Cuban refugee status while he alleges that she now "tosses other Cubans out."
Hi Maria why don’t you care about Cuban political refugees coming to this country now? Were the communists different in the Cuba of your parents?
I think it’s hypocritical that you value your parents refugee status and now toss other Cubans out. https://t.co/5VPQsGhphB
— Ruben Gallego (@RubenGallego) September 23, 2022
"Hi Maria why don’t you care about Cuban political refugees coming to this country now? Were the communists different in the Cuba of your parents? I think it’s hypocritical that you value your parents refugee status and now toss other Cubans out," Gallego responded.
Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-FL-23) also retweeted Gallego's response to Salazar's post.
It should be noted that Gallego is not basing his tweet on any substantive evidence.
Salazar has not done or said anything indicative of shutting out Cuban refugees, though she has spoken critically of President Biden's border policies. This resembles the comments made by Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez in August regarding the border crisis. Nunez had expressed support for sending illegal immigrants further north to sanctuary cities and states, while also saying that the number of Cuban refugees arriving to the United States will increase. This was conflated by Democrats as Nunez being in favor of relocating Cuban refugees.
Moreover, Salazar's opponent Democratic opponent in November, Annette Taddeo, has a much harder case to make in her opposition to socialism as a South Florida Latina. Her Business Translate company has a client in Goldman Sachs, who had funded the Maduro regime in Venezuela. Additionally, Taddeo has not voiced any criticism of Charlie Crist's running mate Karla Hernandez-Mats' apparent sympathy for Fidel Castro.
