It’s safe to say Trump voters aren’t generally renowned for their intelligence. Stubbornness, self-interest, and unfocused rage, sure, but smarts? Let’s face it, even Trump himself notoriously exclaimed, “I love the poorly educated!”
But even among that crowd, the Trump voters who either are immigrants or have immigrants in their immediate family have to be some of the most wilfully self-destructive people in the history of humanity. They whooped and hollered as Trump repeatedly vowed to crack down hard on immigrants throughout his 2024 presidential campaign, only realizing later, “waitaminute… I’m an immigrant”.
Such is the case of Mercedes Capaz, a Cuban-American U.S. citizen who says her family has been torn apart by Donald Trump and his ICE goons. She’s the mother of Pedro González Capaz, who entered the United States aged 15 after getting lucky and winning the “visa lottery”.
But he squandered that golden ticket and was given a deportation order after being convicted of a sex crime involving a minor in 2003, and had been living under an I-220B form. This is a supervision order granted to individuals who have already been given a final order of removal, but whose actual deportation is pending for various reasons.
Or, to put it another way, Pedro shot to the top of ICE’s “let’s get this guy” list once Trump let them off the chain. Pedro was promptly arrested on Mar. 2 and is currently detained and awaiting deportation to an unknown country.
“I feel so betrayed”
His mother believes Trump has let her down: “I feel so betrayed, because I didn’t think he would do this to me. Not to me, or to many people.” She said she lives in “constant anguish” and fears for her son’s safety in prison: “I voted for Trump because I thought he would protect families, and look what’s happening to mine.”
Mercedes defends her son, saying he’s been a changed man since his conviction, has started a family, owns his own home, and has spent two decades living as a law-abiding citizen. But, as we all know by now, none of that matters to ICE. Mercedes now thoroughly regrets her vote and feels like she’s ruined her life, saying: “My son doesn’t know any other life than here. Separating families isn’t justice. It’s cruelty.”
If you know your son is at serious risk of being deported and still vote for the guy who, at every opportunity, promised to deport as many people as possible, then it’s safe to say you may not be the most informed voter out there. Then again, the Republican Party is the all-time champions at getting people to vote against their direct interests, so they can smile and chalk this vote up to one more extremely gullible fish that took the bait.
Published: Jul 9, 2025 05:31 am