March 26, 2003
War support weaker among Latinos By By JENNIFER GOLLAN While the armed services have been aggressively courting members of the country's fastest-growing minority, polls show Latino support for military action is lower than in the population as a whole. And in California, which has put more Latinos in uniform than any other state, many locals oppose the war, pointing to what they see as a disproportionate number of loved ones on the front lines. "Hispanics are the ones who see this from a different perspective because those are our relatives on the front lines and because the programs that affect us are getting cut," said Alex Rodriguez of Santa Barbara, spokesman for the League of United Latin American Citizens. "We realize that it is our son, our brother, or our uncle out there. They are isolated." Karla Mendez is a 1st lieutenant in the Reserve Officer Training Corps at Santa Barbara High School. Despite her link to the military, she says, "I don't agree with the war; my cousin is over there now. I don't like that a lot of people have to die for Saddam Hussein doing something wrong." Still, said the 17-year-old, "If I had to go I would be scared, but I would go." Latinos are actually underrepresented in the military as a whole, making up about 13 percent of the U.S. population but only 9 percent of the military, according to Pentagon figures from last year. Vigorous recruiting has attracted greater numbers, but as a result many Latinos are serving in the lower rungs of enlistment and in more combat-exposed positions. "Latinos have served in the combat arms and earned decorations at levels beyond our proportion in the population," Henry Cisneros, former president of Univision and a former Cabinet officer, has said at Army recruiting drives. "Our service has been courageous, selfless, dedicated and competent," he said, noting the 39 Medals of Honor earned by Latinos in the last century. The Department of Defense reported in 2002 that more than 129,000 Latinos are in the military, with 23,000 of them from California. Nonetheless, the war is proving a harder sell in many Latino living rooms. In pre-war polls by news organizations, about 70 percent of the general public supported military action. However, 48 percent of Latinos are behind the war, and 43 percent are opposed, reported the Pew Hispanic Center, a Washington-based think tank, in a survey last month. The nationwide survey of 400 Latino adults found "grave concerns about the likelihood of casualties among U.S. forces as well as the potential economic impact of the war, and it revealed worries, especially among the foreign born, that the war could lead to harassment of Latinos by immigration authorities and the police," said the study's co-author, Sergio Bendixen of Bendixen & Associates, a Miami-based public opinion research firm specializing in Latino population. Closer to home, California polls are in line with nationwide numbers. Although 53 percent of Californians favor the war, slightly fewer Latinos -- 47 percent -- favor ending Saddam Hussein's rule, according to a February study of more than 2,000 people by the Public Policy Institute in San Francisco. Further, the study noted that about 55 percent of Latinos disapprove of President Bush's stance on Iraq, compared with 44 percent of whites.
The latest New York Times-CBS News poll also showed that black Americans were far more likely than whites to oppose Mr. Bush's policy in Iraq, with just 37 percent approving of how he was handling the situation. Some Santa Barbarans said domestic issues are more important than the war. "There is no reason for us to be doing this," said Mr. Rodriguez. "The much greater issues are how we are going to pay for health care and schools." Other officials agreed. "It doesn't surprise me that Hispanics don't support the war," said Pedro Nava, vice president of the Santa Barbara Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. "It is unquestioned that Latinos have always supported their country and have died in wars. But in this case, I think that the president has failed to make his case for war. People would rather see their resources spent on hospitals, funding health care, schools, rather than bombing Iraq." But others disagreed, contending that the Iraq war is necessary to preserve local social service programs. "President Bush has done the right thing," said Gil Armijo, an army veteran and executive assistant to 5th District Supervisor Joe Centeno. "Latinos in general will recognize the need for the war. It is better for society in general if the Middle East is stabilized. Latinos know that if we reduce the hot spots, we reduce the need for large military buildups, including Latino military personnel." Still, the war puzzles some. "I don't understand why it happened, why there isn't peace," said Theresa Rea, 32, of Santa Barbara. Her cousin is in the Navy and is scheduled ship out to the Persian Gulf next month. "I understand Saddam doesn't want to surrender, but why should so many Americans have to be killed?" Other people gave their own reasons for the war. "I don't support it because it is all about oil," said Israel Rodriguez, 22, over dinner at El Bueno Gusto on Milpas Street. "I don't think that the U.S. needs to go in there and liberate Iraq." "The Hispanic community is very patriotic, but they fear for their families," said Edith Robles, assistant to Rep. Hilda Solis, D-Los Angeles, a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. For a lot of these people, it is the way they go to college. I can see why a lot of sub-groups are fighting in the war, but at the same time families are not supportive of the war because they are risking their lives." One political science expert explained the dissent among some Latinos toward to the war, even as relatives were on the front lines. "Latinos understand the socioeconomic reasons that there are so many of them serving in the war," said Christopher Parker, assistant professor of political science at UCSB, who specializes in race, political psychology, and public opinion. "Why should more Latinos die in the war than whites? Let's be real -- there is a kind of de facto conscription going on." Noteworthy, however, are the overwhelming number of patriotic Latinos in California, Mr. Parker added. Latinos lead all other ethnic groups -- Asian, black, and white -- in their respect for patriotic symbols, according to the "California Patriotism Pilot Study," which surveyed 535 state residents last year. The survey was led by Mr. Parker. "Latino patriotism is high because they have come to America looking for opportunities, so they really adhere to the principles on which the United States was founded," he continued. "They have a strong attachment to America." |
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