When José Pérez Gómez came from Mexico more than 25 years ago, he scraped together money by selling handmade furniture on the streets of Fresno, Calif.
Eventually, he turned that hustle into a full-fledged brick-and-mortar business, which allowed him to raise a family and send two daughters to college.
Democrats had assumed that Mr. Trump’s threat of mass deportations and harsh words toward migrants would sour Latino voters across the country, especially those with family or friends who were undocumented.
But for Mr. Pérez Gómez, personal economic struggles took precedence.
Furthermore, he said, many immigrants in California’s Central Valley actually agreed with Mr. Trump that Democrats had allowed too many people to cross the border with the lure of asylum protections.
Persons:
José Pérez Gómez, Pérez Gómez, Joseph R, Biden, Donald J, Trump
Organizations:
Mr, Democrats
Locations:
Mexico, Fresno, Calif, Central