Dear Congressman Zeldin,
Plato once said, "The measure of a man is what he does with power." Those words come to mind whenever I think about the first eight months of Trump's Presidency. I was reminded of them once again on the night of September 4th when you took to social media, using your power and influence to incite hate and division. This time your venom wasn't directed towards your opponents or those who disagree with your political views, as you have repeatedly done in the past. Rather, you decided to aim your hatred in support of a narrative that has become all too popular since the beginning of Donald Trump's presidential campaign.
On the eve of Donald Trump's expected announcement regarding DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals), you decided to share an article that read, "Zeldin Speaks Out on Murder of Greenport Woman by 'Illegal Alien'." You posted the mug shot of an undocumented immigrant who murdered a woman in our district. There he was, a brown-faced man for all to see. The face of a monster who, in your mind as well as others who believe as you do, looks a lot like the kids DACA is currently protecting. Everyone knows it wasn't a coincidence that you chose to highlight that very story on that particular night. The incident took place a month prior, and the actual article came out a week before you shared it. Clearly, you were waiting for what you thought would be the right moment.
Immediately, the responses from your legion of online supporters, all of whom are clearly descendants of those who sailed on the Mayflower, began flowing in. There were comments like, "But he is just a Dreamer", "Find a rope and a tree limb", and of course, "Build the wall". It's one thing if you disagree with the actions of President Obama and don't believe in his authority to initiate immigration policy without Congressional approval, but you went well beyond any policy issue that you may have. You strategically and with perfect calculation decided to dip into your inner racist tendency (brought forth in the past year or so, perhaps by this President himself) and displayed an image and a message that reeked of dog whistle theatrics.
You didn't just discuss the tragic story, you made it very clear that in your mind, as in the minds of many of your supporters, all Latinos are illegal. All Latinos are murderers! All Latinos are gang members! That Latinos as a group are beneath you and should be feared because they are trying to take something that you believe to be rightfully yours. I follow your social media postings (as I’m sure you’ve noticed), and I have never seen you post or discuss the criminal actions of people who live in your district. Nor have I ever seen you post the mug shot of a person involved in any heinous crime. To see you do it on that night, and in that way, absolutely reeked of racial profiling and racial bigotry. Your intent was clear and you didn't care if it inflicted hurt upon so many of your law-abiding, hard-working Latino constituents who surely deserve better. Words matter, Congressman.
Not too long ago we witnessed the brutal murder of an Ecuadorian immigrant in Patchogue, just a few blocks from your current district office. Marcelo Lucero was attacked and stabbed to death for no other reason than because of the way he looked. In your mind, and in the minds of those who responded favorably to your posting, he looked just like the man in that mug shot. He was killed because people like you vilified people like him by using your influential platform to promote distrust and hatred toward those you deem to be different and somehow beneath you. With tears in my eyes and rage in my heart, I immediately felt the urge to defend myself to you and to all those on your feed who started to express dislike and judgment towards an entire group of people based on the horrific actions of one person.
Is it not enough that Latino-Americans have reached prominence and success in every major field from the arts, science, technology, politics, and law, finance, journalism, and sports? Is it not enough that Latino-Americans have contributed and impacted this nation in many positive ways and have left their mark as being an integral part of our county’s progressive evolution? Is it not enough that so many Latino-Americans have served and defended this nation in our military, in law enforcement, as firefighters, and in our classrooms? Are you even capable, Congressman, of naming a single person from within the Latino community who you believe has played a role in moving our nation forward? Or in your mind, are we all just the same as an “illegal alien” who murdered a woman in Greenport?
There are many Latinos living in the district you represent that are doing their part and then some, right underneath your nose of disinterest and disregard. My parents came here not knowing one word of English, lived in public housing, working measly, low-paying jobs to provide for their two American born daughters. They came here, much the same way your own ancestors did, in search of a piece of the American Dream, with an intense desire to achieve a better life for them and for their family. With government assistance, they worked their way out of poverty by starting their own small business and turning it into enough success that they not only bought their own home on Long Island but put two daughters through college as well. The daughters of those immigrants grew up to be a police officer in the greatest police force in the world, the NYPD, and an educator who teaches our nation’s youth about American History and Government and inspires them to be active participants in the political process. There are thousands of stories like ours throughout your district and across this country. If you made even the slightest attempt to recognize the contributions of Latino-Americans, rather than to simply demean them, you would be truly impressed by how much we bring to the table.
In the end, it doesn’t really matter what you think or believe about who we are as a people because we continue to refuse to allow you and your brand of racism to define us. We will continue to promote change that will enhance our country and all of its citizens, and we will speak out against injustices directed at us or anyone else in America. We will push back against a xenophobic and hateful rhetoric, that does nothing but divide us, with a message of acceptance and unity and the belief that it is our diversity which truly makes us great. Perhaps one day you and I can meet (although I’m certainly not holding my breath) so that you can see what a real-life, successful Latina/o looks like. Perhaps you’ll realize that we are not nearly as scary as you make us out to be. If “the measure of a man is what he does with power“ then there can be no doubt, Congressman, that you have come up well short of the mark. But power is also reflective in the strength of the people that a government represents, and in the end, what may prove to be your greatest legacy is the power that you have instilled in many of us to go out and find ourselves a Congressman who is truly interested in representing all of his/her constituents. Until then, I, and so many others, will continue to resist and will continue to call out your supposed patriotism; revealing it for what it actually is … plain old hate and ignorance.
Most Sincerely,
Your Latina constituent
