The Dominican YouTuber Dany Pérez, known on social media as Destino Tolk or Destino Positivo, has shaken up social media with a direct and unfiltered message for those Latinos who, after emigrating, forget their roots and look down on their countries of origin while idealizing the United States or other foreign nations.
“People need to stop being sycophants...”, the artist begins, firmly referring to those who collaborate with immigration authorities or feel superior for having acquired foreign citizenship.
Destino shared that, despite having lived many years in Europe and holding a French passport, which he obtained for convenience as he explained, he has never stopped being Dominican or stopped loving his homeland.
“I became a French national out of convenience... but one thing I'm clear about is that I am Dominican, of course, with its flaws and virtues,” he stated.
In reference to the United States, he stated: “Tomorrow I may have the passport of this country, but I will always remain Dominican, of course, with its flaws and virtues.”
But it went further. “And when I find myself in a country like this, like the United States, and I see a Cuban, a Venezuelan, a Nicaraguan, I identify with them, because we are all Latinos. We left our land, our family, our neighborhood, to come here in search of better opportunities. So when some arrive and think they’re more American than the Americans themselves, hurting their own people, snitching on their own people, mocking their own people... that looks dirty and disgusting,” he declared.
From another perspective and with the same concern, last weekend, Aly Sánchez took a break during her show in Miami to share a story that touched her. A newly arrived Cuban from the border came to see her and thanked her for making her laugh amid fear and uncertainty.
That moment led the actress to question the direction of the Cuban exile: “How do we stop caring about our brothers and sisters who arrive?”, she wondered. The actress, presenter, and comedian condemned that there are those who “take joy in the deportation of hardworking mothers” and others who “use the ICE number to snitch”.
Aly also harshly criticized the Cuban-American politicians who have not defended their community. "The politician who does not respond to our interests does not deserve to be reelected,” she declared.
His words come at a time when the Cuban-American Enrique Tarrio, a supporter of President Donald Trump, has sparked controversy with the launch of an application that turns the pursuit of immigrants into a digital business.
Tarrio, former leader of the Proud Boys, launched ICERAID last week, a platform that rewards individuals with cryptocurrencies for reporting undocumented persons in the U.S.
The application, which uses artificial intelligence to analyze photos and data of alleged irregular immigrants, offers payments in $RAID for uploading images and locations, creating a public map of reports.
Human rights organizations have warned about the danger of this tool, which encourages citizen surveillance and could promote personal reprisals under the guise of patriotism.
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