A Dark Echo: How Scapegoating Immigrants is Shaping U.S. Elections and Undermining Democracy

Eduardo A. Gamarra

 As we witness the 2024 American electoral campaign, it is impossible to ignore the parallels to one of the darkest chapters in human history. In a chilling echo of the tactics used by the Nazis, one political party in the United States has increasingly resorted to scapegoating immigrants—especially undocumented ones. Just as Adolf Hitler's regime blamed the Jews for every conceivable problem plaguing Germany, from economic crises to political instability, today, specific American political figures are directing fear and anger at immigrants, particularly those from Haiti, Venezuela, and other Latin American countries. They are portrayed as drug traffickers, rapists, murderers, gang members, and even as threats to public health and safety, despite the lack of evidence supporting such generalizations.

The disturbing rhetoric recalls how the Nazis vilified Jews by labeling them Bolsheviks, Communists, greedy bankers, and even vermin. Jewish people were blamed for Germany's post-World War I struggles despite their diverse roles in society. The anti-immigrant vitriol we hear today mirrors that language, where immigrants are demonized not as individuals but as a faceless group responsible for everything from economic hardship to crime. The promise of "rounding up and deporting" millions of so-called illegal immigrants under a future Trump presidency has become a rallying cry for those seeking easy solutions to complex problems, just as the Nazis promised a "final solution" to what they labeled the Jewish problem.

These dehumanizing narratives are not only dangerous but historically rooted in violence and repression. Deporting millions of people, rounding them up en masse, and treating them as less than human is the modern-day equivalent of how Jews were depicted in Nazi propaganda. Haitians and Venezuelans, many of whom have fled desperate situations—economic collapse, political repression, gang violence—are being labeled as undesirables, not unlike how European Jews were blamed for Germany's suffering.

Even more unsettling is the silence and, in some cases, the collaboration of established immigrant communities. In South Florida, where a large number of Venezuelan expatriates reside, some leaders have joined in the attacks against newer waves of Venezuelan refugees. These actions are reminiscent of the collaborators in Nazi-occupied Europe—those who believed they would be spared from persecution if they aligned with the oppressor. The betrayal is personal and political, as established immigrants turn on their compatriots to secure their position in American society.

The parallels between Trump’s rhetoric and that of Hitler’s rise to power should serve as a blaring warning. Hitler was elected in a democratic Germany, exploiting the very institutions of democracy to gain control. Once in office, he quickly moved to dismantle the democratic structures that had allowed his rise. Trump, with his history of undermining democratic norms and attempting to overturn legitimate election results, presents a similar danger. Despite the litany of legal challenges and his role in the January 6 insurrection, Donald Trump is close to returning to the White House. And like in Germany before the Nazis fully consolidated power, the warning signs are all around us, yet many refuse to heed them.

The demonization of immigrants is not just a political tactic—it’s a profoundly destructive force that erodes the moral fabric of society. The implications of this rhetoric stretch beyond the immigrants themselves; it undermines the very principles of equality and justice on which the United States was founded. If history has taught us anything, it is that scapegoating entire communities leads not to solutions but to violence, repression, and societal collapse.

Let us recognize the dangers of this trajectory before it is too late. It is not just a question of immigration policy but of the nation's moral and democratic future. What happens in November 2024 will define the course of this country for generations to come.