Last week, an acknowledgement I made of my Guatemalan roots — and the pride I feel as a Guatemalan American — was twisted into a false narrative. Right-wing forces, including the Department of Homeland Security, weaponized a misinterpretation of my comments, made in Spanish, to question my loyalty as an American and silence me as I continue to push back against this fascist administration. They’ve even gone so far as to call for me to be removed from my committees, stripped of my citizenship, and deported — a ridiculous attack meant only to rile the far-right with false narratives and dangerous precedents.
These attacks are rooted in xenophobia and racism. Conservatives with narrow, exclusionary views of America take offense when someone who looks like me speaks with pride about their heritage.
