Latinos react to Trump win

UPDATE 11/9/2016 6 PM:

Shock waves are still being felt around the world after Donald Trump clinched the necessary 270 electoral votes needed to become president. On Wednesday, the Mexican government and local Latinos reacted to the news.

According to CBS News, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto congratulated the U.S. on its election and sent tweets saying Mexico and the United States are “friends, partners and allies who should continue collaborating for the competitiveness and development of North America.”

President-elect Trump’s platform included cracking down on people in the U.S. illegally, saying he would build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico, making Mexico foot the bill. At another point in the campaign, he referred to some Mexican migrants as “murderers and rapists.”

The United Farm Workers of American’s President Arturo S. Rodriguez also released a statement, saying the UFW was disappointed with the results. However said the organization has confronted and overcame political adversity before and what remains unchanged is the practice f organizing for the long term.

The Monterey County Central Labor Council said there are some 55,000 undocumented workers in Monterey County. Several of them told KION they are concerned about a Trump administration.

“I’m really scared,” one man said. “Me and my roommate already have our truck loaded and ready to leave.”

Others are taking their chances to see what policies Trump would institute.

“I think I’m going to stay here till they throw me out or make a law,” another said.

An international political analyst at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies said it’s too early to tell what impact a Trump administration would have on relations with Mexico and other countries.

“Depending on what cabinet he forms, then we can start seeing what directions he will be taking with foreign policy in general, with domestic policies in particular, but we’re not quite there yet. He has to form a government,” said Professor William Arrocha.

So it’s unknown what kind of immigration reform he may be advised to pursue and at this point, the future of DACA is uncertain.

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals gives work permits and temporary deportation protections to some undocumented people based on strict requirements. But it is an executive order, meaning Trump can change it.

Until his inauguration, it’s a waiting game for some 55,000 undocumented workers in Monterey County and countless others across the nation.

ORIGINAL POST:

During his campaign, Donald Trump vowed to crack down on people living in the United States illegally, saying he would build a wall between the U.S. and Mexico. At another point, he referred to Mexicans as “murderers and rapists.”

Now that the election is over, Latinos on the Central Coast say they are concerned about a Trump administration.

One man we spoke to, who wanted to stay anonymous, said he and his family made a hard decision once they found out Trump would be the country’s 45th president. They packed up their pickup truck and vowed to return to Mexico if they needed to. Another man said he would stay in the U.S. and play it by ear.

William Arrocha, international political analyst at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies, says it’s too early to tell what impact a Trump administration would have on relations with Mexico and other countries. “It’s too premature to make conclusions until his cabinet is formed,” Arrocha said.

KION’s Mariana Hicks will have more on this story tonight on 5 and 6 p.m..