In Boyle Heights, a Trump comeback sparks fear of deportations as well as economic optimism

Doubt was the first thought that Thalia Camargo had when she learned that former President Donald Trump would be in the White House once again.

“There is no way in hell that this man got impeached twice and that this convicted felon is going to be our president,” Camargo said Wednesday outside of Picaresca Cafe in Boyle Heights. Soon heartbreak and disappointment set in.

The 23-year-old worried that many of the immigrants she works with might not fully understand the gravity of an incoming president who has promised a wave of deportations. 

Next, she was overcome with surprise after seeing the record number of Latino men who voted for Trump.

“In the sense of immigrants and Latino people, I think people construe cultural values and might think ‘How could a woman ever run this country?’ When in reality, how many of your guys’ mothers ran your home without a father figure in the house?” Camargo said. “Who paid the bills? Who do you call when you need help? It’s mind-blowing to me how many people are unaware of how much women run this s—.” 

According to an election exit poll from Edison Research, self-identifying Latino males shifted right this election with 54% supporting Trump compared to the 36% who supported him in 2020. 

Outside First Street Elementary School, parents Andrew Marquez and Cynthia Alvarez had just picked up their 7-year-old daughter from class. Marquez, 28, couldn’t believe the news at first. “After the initial shock set in it was just like, damn. Now we’re going to have to deal with this again,” he said.

Alvarez, his partner, said she immediately thought about the women who might not be able to get the reproductive care they need if Trump restricts abortion. While the President-elect has said he would not implement a nationwide ban on abortion, his appointees to federal agencies could further restrict these rights at the federal level without needing lawmakers’ approval.

Considering Trump’s plans to reshape the Department of Education and public schools, Marquez feared families who rely on free education might lose access to educational opportunities. Trump has said repeatedly that funding preferences and favorable treatment will go to districts that follow his plans for reform. 

“[Defunding schools] is always a bad thing because you always want the kids to have the best education they can get. Especially if it’s public education because a lot of times those families don’t have the resources to help and the schools can be a safety net in a way to get them those resources that they need.”

Alvarez is the sole caretaker for her uncle, who relies on Social Security for healthcare and medication expenses, and said she worried how possible cuts to social welfare programs might hurt her family. 

“Before, his medication used to be covered and now he’s been having to pay out of pocket. He’s half paralyzed so he can’t really go out and work. It’s affecting him a lot. [Trump] is slowly trying to take them away and little by little people are having to pay more out of pocket.” 

While Trump suggested cuts for Social Security may be on the horizon in a March interview, he recently pledged to not cut the service 72 million Americans 65 and over depend on to live and buy groceries across the country. However, the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a non-partisan group set on educating the public about the impacts of fiscal policy, argues that Trump’s proposed economic plan would dramatically worsen Social Security’s finances.

Immigration was another key issue Trump centered his campaign promises around. The former president has vowed to close the U.S.-Mexico border within the first few hours of his presidency.

To Sara Castillo, 58, a closed border is a good thing. 

“He needs to [close the borders]. The United States gives so many different ways you can come in legally and so many different paths you can take, and [immigrants] should take those paths. If you’re coming in illegally, it just hurts us,” Castillo said. 

Castillo is an Arcadia resident but a property manager of a shopping center in Boyle Heights. She said the country needed a leader who “knows how to run the country as a company or a business” and said she hopes a Trump presidency will help her retirement fund. 

“A lot of people vote with their pocketbook and that’s where I’m at. I’ve seen my 401k dwindle from the time when Biden came in and I’m looking forward to it going back up,” she said. 

Despite not voting for Trump, first-time voters Maria Iwane-Rivera,19, and Aztrid Guerrero, 19, also hoped that his proposed economic plan may be enough to curb inflation. The pair’s sentiments mirror exit poll data which showed voters were unhappy with the current state of the economy. However, economists warn Trump’s economic approach comes with risks that might actually increase inflation nationwide.

Still, both felt Trump’s other policies targeting the LGBTQ community and immigrants may not reflect the values of all people in the U.S.

“I have a lot of friends who are trans and they’ve been expressing their concerns to me and I think that’s something that we should be worried about,” Guerrero said. 

“I have family members who are immigrants,” Iwane-Rivera added. “They don’t really know too much about this election and I do worry, because I know [Trump] is very against immigrants and not having them here anymore. I don’t know what will happen. And that’s scary.”