For him, social media is the cause of the anxiety in the community; there’s a lot of false information circulating that causes a lot of stress among people.
Latino broadcaster Terry Cortez (Terry ‘El Terrible’ Cortez) receives daily calls from desperate and helpless people regarding what’s happening with immigration operations that began with Donald Trump’s inauguration as president of the country.
“They call me to tell me that people aren’t going to the ‘alleys’ in downtown anymore, people are scared. I ask them to calm down, we inform them, we try to help them know their rights, and then, our duty is to make them laugh, to help them forget a little bit of what’s happening,” says Terry in an interview.
The popular radio host, number one in the Spanish-language market with his program on 97.7 FM La Raza, is aware of the danger the undocumented Latino community faces, but he’s also, and he emphasizes this, aware that right now, the operations are targeting people who have committed crimes—though he clarifies there will be collateral damage.
“Unfortunately, when ICE goes after a criminal, they might come across an immigrant who hasn’t committed a crime and they will detain them. It’s very sad, but it’s happening,” he reflects.
“I would propose automatic regularization for agricultural and essential workers. For DACA recipients, to protect while their status is being defined. But now, it’s up to the lawmakers to start pushing,” he says.
But for him, it’s not about ignoring what’s happening because you can’t ignore it—he believes it has to be faced head-on.
“There’s nothing more to be done, the man (Trump) is in the White House, we have to deal with it. We need to inform ourselves, that’s what we do—tell people their rights, where they can go, the precautions they should take. We can’t just say, ‘watch out! Here comes ‘la migra,’’ because that would only scare them more. Immigrants who haven’t committed a crime shouldn’t be worried. They pay taxes, they contribute to this country, and they won’t be deported,” he adds.
Terry asks, “Do you think millions of immigrants can be deported in four years?” and emphatically denies it.
For him, social media is the cause of the anxiety in the community; there’s a lot of false information circulating that causes a lot of stress among people. In previous years, he says, there have been other operations, but the information wasn’t as widely spread. Now, it’s different because so much information is circulating on social media.
Terry sees other more realistic options: that the Latino Caucus in Washington should begin to negotiate options so that certain sectors of the immigrant community can gain some benefits.
“I would propose automatic regularization for agricultural and essential workers. For DACA recipients, to provide protection while their status is being defined. But now, it’s up to the lawmakers to start pushing,” he says.
For Terry, the most important way to make progress in this fight is to make Trump aware that if attacks against non-criminal immigrants and essential workers continue, he could lose control of Congress and the Senate in the upcoming midterm elections.
“46 percent of Latinos voted for Trump… but they did it for the economy, not so he could deport their families,” says Terry. “The way to hit Trump’s ego is for him to know that he will be harmed in the midterm elections and his party in the next presidential election.”
This influential broadcaster believes that a march with hundreds of thousands of people won’t impact Trump. “Yes, they’ll say, ‘There they are, and…?’ “We can change the game. He has two years to avoid losing the Latino vote. Unfortunately, I don’t see any Latino leader taking charge of this movement. But there needs to be that legislative dialogue,” he concludes.
El Terrible: “Everyone has a difficult life, but it is possible to overcome it”
Write a Reply or Comment
You should Sign In or Sign Up account to post comment.