Kansas City Latino Leadership Vs. MAGA Mass Deportations?!?

Today we share more info than Kansas City news offers and a bit of guidance for cowtown journalists.

GIVEN THAT THERE ARE PLENTY OF LATINO ELECTED OFFICIALS & POLITICOS IN KANSAS CITY: CAN WE STOP ASKING THE TACO VENDORS HOW THEY FEEL ABOUT MAGA MASS DEPORTATIONS?!?

It's just not informative and no other "diverse" community has to put up with it . . . 

When the news wants to talk GOP budget policy . . . They often ask someone like Rep. Mark Alford who now works with the House Appropriations Committee or they even try to get a quote from Senator Josh Hawley . . . They don't bother some white dude working at QT on his smoke break. 

Or . . . We don't/shouldn't expect Black History Month commentary from one of the cooks at Gates. 

But we're not just here to criticize . . . We want to help just a bit . . . And we're also sharing this post because we notice so many elite local Latinos have been NOTICEABLY ABSENT from the conversation despite their reliance on the community to earn elected office and/or their other prominent positions.

And so . . .

The "meat" of this missive (pause) is a quick cursory guide to what local Latino elected officials and insiders have said so far . . .

Let's get started out in the stix going into the urban core . . .

Beto Lopez: Mayor Pro Tem for Lee's Summit AND the CEO for Guadalupe Center

Councilman Lopez mostly acts in a nonpartisan capacity for Lee's Summit. However, as the leader of Guadalupe Center his silence on the immigration issue has been noticeable to some and deafening to others . . . Keeping quiet is a smart move but not inspiring in the least . . . Which, sadly, is how most denizens of the Latino community describe the Center nowadays. 

Irene Caudillo, chief of staff for KCK Mayor Tyrone Garner

Now this was surprising, recently she was on record at a meeting in the Dotte asking officials to push back against La Migra sweeps . . . That's not gonna happen but we were surprised by her ask and she raised an important question about local reaction from her urban district in otherwise red state Kansas.

Kansas City 4th District At-Large Councilman Crispin Rea

Councilman Rea has also been quiet regarding the immigration issue and seems to be taking his lead form Mayor Q. In reality, with rumors of mayoral run in his future . . . Crispin Rea is strengthening his connections to unions and hoping to pick up Northland support so it's unlikely he's going to take a leadership role in this debate.

However . . . That might be acceptable if his campaign didn't also rely on a great deal of the Latino community to earn his office in the first place . . . Yes, TKC was camping out at the buffet table during lurking in the shadows of the Mattie Rhodes rally which celebrated rising local Latino power with everyone applauding the new council dude.

And so . . . The current MAGA La Migra crackdown might force Crispin towards a crossroads . . . Is he a Latino leader or a municipal power player?!?!? That question is TOTALLY UNFAIR and local Black elected officials have moved past the old-school way of thinking that equates their demographics with decisions as a policy-maker . . . NEVERTHELESS that's the NO-WIN reality that every Latino official has to confront in the Midwest during this MAGA second coming.

Jackson County Legislator Manny Abarca

This one is easy . . .  Just check his X.com feed and it's easy to see that Manny is a proud member of the resistance against MAGA. He's probably the strongest Latino progressive in the metro and he's also front and center amid Democratic Party push back against Republicans and the current White House administration. Many locals might not like his politics but HAVE TO ADMIT that there's no mistaking where he stands.

This last one is tougher . . .

TKC Challenges Local MSM To Find Latinos For Trump Who Aren't Total Cornflakes

They're out there in mass . . . Even in this blue city.

In our quick review we noticed most Latino leaders are either speaking up against mass deportations or staying quiet but, in fact, there are conservative Latinos right here in River City who actually support the deportations and ignoring this fact of life makes the same mistake as the doomed Kamala campaign for Prez . . . Mainstream progressives often hold TOTALLY WRONGHEADED conceptions that Latinos are ONLY voting on immigration issues and strangely can't fathom that the Latino community also cares about inflation, national security, culture war issues and even macroeconomic concerns. This isn't just a progressive phenomena . . . The Swanson-dinner heiress Tucker Carlson pushes the idiotic "replacement theory" which can't explain why so many Latinos voted for Prez Trump AND back deportation policy.  

Still . . . 

We won't deny that Latino MAGA supporters are tough to find in KC . . . About ten years ago there was this sketchy fast food manager who dominated local talk shows and even bought a bow-tie because he was so gung-ho Republican (WTF?!?!) . . . Apparently he lost interest but that doesn't mean there are newer, better people to interview.

In conclusion . . .

We hope all of this helps the ongoing discussion that will continue as MAGA mass deportations persist and, like it or not, become a constant part of the Kansas City political discourse.

Developing . . .