President-elect Donald Trump and Republicans made gains among Latinos around the country during the 2024 election.
Immigrants in the Columbus area though are grappling with Trump's promise of mass deportations. If enacted, the deportations could impact many individuals or their family members.
Claudia Diaz shopped at La Plaza Tapatia on Thursday on Columbus' far west side with her husband. The store offers groceries and ingredients that most chain stores like Kroger don't have in Columbus.
Diaz is an undocumented immigrant from the city of Monterrey, in the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon. She first moved to California when she was 5 years old, but moved back to Mexico to learn about her background.
Diaz said she wants to move back to Mexico eventually, but wants to stay until her children graduate high school. She said she isn't very worried about being deported.
"I already have my plan. If I get deported, I don't have money here. All my money, I'm putting it in a bank account in Mexico. If that ever happens, we'll just go back. You know, it's not like I'm going to cry or I'm going to die," Diaz said.
After moving back to the U.S. with her family, she now works at her sister's restaurant in Columbus while her children attend school.
Diaz said she plans to move to Texas to avoid the cold, as she awaits her immigration court date in April. She said her immigration is being managed through the Customs and Border Protection CBP One application.
"I don't complain. I just work and that's it. And then when I have to go back, I just go back. I would have been back already. But my husband doesn't want to go back yet," Diaz said.
Diaz said it didn't matter to her who won the election, because she doesn't think it would change anything.
"I think that no matter who wins, it's always going to be the same, like the same words, the same promises, the same everything," Diaz said. "They probably feel like it's too crowded. Then they start deporting people and then it's not crowded. When they need the money, they let them back in," Diaz said.
Diaz said she thinks Vice President Kamala Harris would be nicer to immigrants. She said she was surprised Trump won because of the sexual assault and other criminal allegations levied against him.
Diaz said she doesn't know why Latinos around the country, particularly Latino men, voted more for Trump than in previous years. She said it shouldn't surprise people that Latino immigrants have differing opinions on political issues, especially depending on their gender and how long their families have been in the country.
She said Latinos are just as divided as the rest of the country as a whole.
"I think that (Trump) is making people hate each other... even themselves like Americans are hating each other, fighting each other for stupid reasons," Diaz said.
