Republican Presidential candidates catered heavily to Hispanic voters in Florida. Questions regarding language, immigration, potential statehood for Puerto Rico, and trade with Cuba were addressed by all four candidates. Nearly one-fourth of Florida's population is made up of Hispanics, which is well over the national average of 16%. With the majorty of Hispanics voting Democrat, Republican candidates felt pressed to reach out to the over 4 million Latinos in the Sunshine State.
Immigration is an extremely hot topic. When the economy is weak and people find themselves competing amongst each other for resources, U.S. citizens are less willing to welcome immigrants who may land a job or end up receiving government benefits, such as food stamps. People are even less willing to tolerate illegal immigration since it means more competition. Additionally, illegal immigrants have also been linked to crime, gang activity, and increased hospital costs. With so many Americans struggling, people want to know what will be done about the over 11 million illegal immigrants in this country.
This was an issue that was tackled with respect to Hispanic voters, perhaps since the majority of illegal immigrants are Hispanic. With that in mind, some Tampa Bay area voters were asked to speak out on the issue.
Karissa Rodriguez, of Spring Hill, said, "If immigrants take the appropriate steps when coming here, then they deserve a shot at being an American."
It was also agreed that immigrants should learn English; however, no one was a fan of either Gingrich's or Romney's plan to make English the official language of the United States.
"I think it's a good idea for everyone who comes here to learn English, and I think it's a terrible idea to make it the official language," said Rebecca Vincent, of Tampa. "In making it the official language, we risk future generations distorting the law to discriminate against immigrants. If the purpose of passing the law is to encourage everyone to speak English, then we need to fund widespread school programs that gradually transition students from learning in their native tongue to learning in an English immersion environment, as well as community programs that offer English for adults at a reasonable cost."
Sabina Lewis, of Tampa, who is fluent in both English and Spanish, answered, "Even if English is made the official language, there will be hard-headed people who just don't want to learn it. There are other reasons people have difficulty learning English, including native speakers who speak it poorly and make it more difficult for others to learn, or people who make fun of others who have an accent."
Andreu Dreessen, who lives part time in the United States and part time in Spain, and is fluent in both languages, feels that people need to at least make the effort. "In my opinion, people that make their home here ought to speak the common language. Keep their culture alive, but adjust to the mainstream of the country they live in. In Spain, the people like it when a foreigner even attempts some phrases. So it's a good sign of courtesy even."
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