Latino Trump supporter told ‘Get out of my country’

Maximino Cisneros,
Contributor

Mario Britt is a 21-year-old Latino from Castro Valley and a self-proclaimed conservative supporter of President Donald Trump.

He attends Merced Community College and is serving his third year as a specialist in the National Guard. He has never been physically attacked for his support of Trump, but his views have been met with hostility from Trump supporters and opponents.

On Election Day, while walking with friends in Lodi—all of whom were Latino and dressed in civilian attire—a white truck approached and the driver yelled, “Get out of my country, you Mexicans!” It still did not sway his support for Trump because “he has productively been finding solutions to most of the promises he mentioned during his campaign,” said Britt. “I was drawn to Trump because he speaks his mind and doesn’t bother with political correctness, and believes in the traditional, conservative American values. He also believes strongly in the second amendment.”

Like Trump, Britt opposes the removal of Confederate statues because he believes they reflect history and people should have “thicker skin.” Additionally, Britt agrees with Trump’s tough stance on immigration.

“Go through the due process, whatever the process may be, and learn the basics of English,” Britt said. “Regardless of your situation you have to go through process of becoming a legal immigrant but if an illegal immigrant in the U.S. can prove that they have been trying go through the process, then they should be expedited of being a resident or citizen in the country.”

According to NPR, only 32.8 million California voters gave their support for Trump. However, his numbers were even worse in the East and South Bay when he received just 24.9 percent of the vote in Contra Costa County, 14.7 percent in Alameda County, and 20.6 percent in Santa Clara County according to the state of California’s website.

He disagrees with Trump on his decision to approve the building of the Dakota Access Pipeline, which is a $3.7 billion project that would transport crude oil from North Dakota to Illinois through the Missouri River, and to construct a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border.

“A waste of money, although it will provide jobs to Americans if the contract is given to American contractors. And that only if the funding get fully approved if it hasn’t already,” Britt said. His feelings about Trump and issues like immigration have remained the same since the president took office.

Britt described being a young conservative in the Bay Area as, “one of the most frustrating things especially when it comes to people my age and younger,” because he finds it difficult to voice his opinions and beliefs amongst his friends and peers.

“I’m not saying everyone has to believe everything I believe, but I do enjoy a good respectful debate and sharing of thoughts,” said Britt. “Which I rarely have when it comes to anyone in the Bay Area.”