Dear Mr. Romney:
My name is Melisa Valentin. I have been following your campaign and how you have been competing in this primary. There have been many ups and downs during this competition. It is probably not going to get any easier. The reason why I am writing this public letter is because, personally, I have had it with your campaign’s portrayal and dismissive attitude towards Latinos.
Let me tell you a little about myself. I am originally from Puerto Rico. I am a 34 year-old mother of a 2-year old, married to a wonderful person who immigrated to this country the hard way. I have a graduate degree from Brigham Young University located in Provo, Utah. In case you were wondering, yes, I am a Mormon. I have dedicated the last 11 years of my life to work with immigrants from all over the world. Of course, I have paid special attention to Latinos because I am one. I lived in New York City as a child. While I lived there, I quickly learned what racism and discrimination was. I also learned what is was to be white, yellow, black or Puertorican. Despite all life experiences, in our family, we are true and real independents.
The reason why I am sharing all this is to let you know that my opinion does not come from a place of ignorance or lack of experience.
The first time you talked about self-deportation, I bet a lot of the people around you thought it was brilliant. For those of us that know that the current immigration laws allows you to “return home whenever you want to go” it sounded horrible and made it evident that you did not know what you were talking about. It's called voluntary departure. The harsh position regarding immigration and immigrants has been too much. Everyone that has followed you over the years knows of the fluctuation in opinion that has been labeled as flip flopping. We are also aware that your campaign managers and assistants are trying to stay away from anything that sounds like flip flopping. We also know that you are worried about what the ultra-conservatives will think or how to attract women voters and independents...everyone knows all this. Now, since this is public knowledge, could you please stop the harsh rhetoric against immigration and immigrants. It is tiring and it has gotten old for those of us who know better. Let's face it! You need my vote. You need people like me to vote for you so that you can get your nomination. Stop making it hard to even look at your ads! Specially, the ad released against Santorum last week. Why was it significant that Santorum supported Judge Sotomayor? Let's see...is it because she is Latino? She's a woman nominated by a Democratic President? What is wrong with his support? Does this have any relationship with his stand on immigration? I mean, it's not like he supported someone who was unqualified for the job. The woman is an icon within the legal system of this country! For people like me, it is refreshing to see someone who can cross party lines and go with real world qualifications.
As a Puertorrican, I am offended that you picked on the support for Sotomayor. As a woman, I am mad that in the year 2012, there are still people looking through those “shades”. Would you have felt better if it would have been a man? As a Latino, I am sick of it! Would it have been ok if it would have been a white woman?
Let's be real. You cannot relate to the average citizen. You cannot build bridges with those that are different from you. You are unable to accept the reality of a broken legal system. But you do want us to believe that you can lead a country, when 99% of the country is not like you. How is it that a one-percenter that has shown no ability to relate to the 99 serve MY best interest? How? We believe you are a brilliant business person...but your brilliance and Harvard degree has not taught you to relate to others, to be personable, to be compassionate! My goodness! Help us see the humanity that will complement the business brilliance. Prove that you understand that place of birth does not determine if you are treated like a person or an object. Help us see that you do not determine who has the right to human dignity based on what your passport says...
...In fact, help us see that you understand that with or without documentation, passports, birth certificates, green cards...tomatoes get picked in Georgia and hotels get tidied up all over the nation by hard working, honest individuals who live here. Not to mention the hundreds of companies that grow based on the productivity and ingenious of teams...teams of locals and professionals that found a way to find work authorization. Give us options to stop the talent that leaks out of the US because we educate foreigners but do not make an effort to keep that talent. If this is not going to happen, please, please stop portraying the US as the best place in the world! You can't blame people that want to be here if all politicians and the media say is this is the promised land. Please help people know that, as things are right now, it is the promised land of “self-deportation”, high taxes for the middle class, no opportunity for your foreign-born children, and assured persecution and racial profiling by local police, etc.
Mr. Romney, like me, there are many that want to believe in you. But believe me, it becomes harder and harder to believe in you with the one-percenter mind set not considering the 99%. It is very attractive to me that you are successful. It gives me hope that the economy can progress. But socially, it terrifies me. It makes me think that we will be back to “pseudo concentration camps” for Latino and all that do not seem to be legal and checkpoints at every state line to show documentation. Mr. Romney, talk to me! Talk to people like me. Get in a conversation. A real, balanced conversation. No one is in favor of anarchy. But we are in favor of progress. Which progress can only come from compromise, listening, negotiation, and real world information.
Good luck to you!
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