altogether awaits a decision in federal court. A growth in
Hispanic voters who cast their ballots for Donald Trump helped
him win Wisconsin and nationally. This even after
Trump promised mass deportations and said immigrants poison the
blood of our country. What were the drivers for Latinos to vote
for the now president elect? And what will Trump's policies mean
for them? We turn to George Franco, CEO of the Hispanic
Chamber of Commerce of Wisconsin. And nice to see you
again, Federico. >> Thanks for having me.
Wonderful to be with you again. >> So we spoke with you ahead of
the election. Were you surprised the part Hispanic voters played
>> I actually was not. There was a lot of rumblings already. You
know, big concern for Hispanic voters. Certainly was the
economy, the inflation that was in some cases just staggering.
And I think that having lived that for numerous years, I think
just drove many people to support former President Trump,
now president elect Trump and, and of course, his numbers
showed in all segments, not just the Hispanic vote. So it was in
particular those of us who work in the low income community and
community development. The pain factor is pretty high. And I
think people are looking for a new day and that's, you know,
the outcomes spoke for themselves.
Trump presidency will help reduce the cost of living, even
though he talks about tariffs and other things?
>> You know, and I will say that in my limited understanding, the
inflation and the complexity of the factors that go into that,
I'm not holding my breath on that particular note, to be
candid with you. What I'm more focused on is how do we increase
the income levels of those in our low and moderate income
communities, not just here in Wisconsin, but across the
country? And my work in Washington actually takes me
down that path. So, you know, already the Federal Reserve
mandates to control inflation and to optimize employment are
like this. They're they're contrary to each other in many
ways. And that leaves them in a conflicted situation. And
frankly, focusing on the opportunities as a result of the
job growth in America is going to be much more fertile and
productive than what may or may not happen to the prices that
we're all being impacted by. >> So now that we've seen the
change agents that Trump wants to appoint to his cabinet and
elsewhere, do you take seriously his call for mass deportations?
>> Well, I do and I don't. And I want to explain. So certainly
the folks that, you know, he's entitled, he won the election,
certainly a resounding win for him. And so any president is
entitled to bring their staff in and bring their select and pick
and choose who they want to come in and work with them, subject
to the advice and consent of the Senate and all that. We'll see
how that all plays out. But having said that, the question
in my mind is will the people, many of them returning, some of
them already there before during his first presidency, will they
be open to objective analysis and input that helps us all
appreciate what's important to GDP for Americans, because that
in great part drives revenue to the government, enabling to pay
its bills. And certainly, you know, the, the, the, the debt,
the, the US debt is, you know, has got to be dealt with. No
doubt. You can't just let that continue to roll out of control.
But there are numerous factors and the question in my mind is,
will individuals be open to receiving that input? And
frankly, in the community, the economic stakeholders like the
farmers in Wisconsin, dairy agriculture, I mean, we've got
to get ourselves organized so we have an effective message to
share in an appropriate way and at the appropriate time, and
sooner the better. >> Now really, because does the
need for workers in the US and Wisconsin make these kinds of
mass deportations untenable? >> The Wisconsin economy is so
dependent on tens of thousands of immigrants working in
agriculture and dairy, and in farming communities, and you
take all that away, and the Wisconsin economy will tank.
What does that mean for the American economy? If any one
state's economy goes goes in the tank is a whole nother analysis
and discussion to have. But it's a complexity of issues and you
know, we have a history of working with everyone and anyone
in what we do. And that's just the mandate I have from the
people who are, you know, the board of directors of the
Hispanic Chamber and our members are my task is to go work with
anyone and everyone and do the best. We can to help those
issues come to light. So the best decisions are made in the
interest of the economy. >> Great Jorge Franco, thanks