As a queer Latino man—and an advocate for human rights and ethical critical thinking—I read with unsettling horror what Laura Loomer posted on X (formerly Twitter) last week. Celebrating the opening of the so‑called “Alligator Alcatraz” immigration detention camp in the Florida Everglades, she proclaimed:
“Alligator Lives Matter. The good news is alligators are guaranteed at least 65 million meals if we get started now.”
In other words: 65 million Latinos should be thrown to alligators.
A Call for Genocide in Plain Sight
This is not hyperbole—it’s an explicit call for mass murder. Loomer’s words are a direct threat to the lives of Latinos in the United States, amounting to genocide-level hate. Skilled propagators of hate have historically used language of dehumanization and violence to fracture solidarity and rational moral judgment—and this looks exactly like that.
Why I’m Speaking Up
When push comes to shove, silence becomes complicity. The echoes of past atrocities remind us that genocide doesn’t start with gas chambers—it starts with hateful rhetoric, pivoting to violence, then murder. Loomer’s words are chilling because they normalize cruelty and legitimize it via spectacle—like marketing a theme park attraction.
As a Latino—and especially as queer—I know how important it is to draw the line before hate turns into policy. Laura Loomer and her ilk are weaponizing border policy and nationalist ideology to push us toward normalized violence.
What Ethical Critical Thinking Demands
1. Call it by its name
What happened isn’t “trolling” or “hyperbole.” It’s an unambiguous call for genocide.
2. Refuse the dehumanization
Latinos are not “illegal aliens,” consumption fodder, or props for viral content. We are people with stories, joys, memories, and rights.
3. Hold institutions accountable
This is not fringe. MAGA leadership is turning “Alligator Alcatraz” into spectacle—translating fear into mainstreamed persecution. Ignoring this rhetorical shift will only empower it.
4. Build resistance via solidarity
Our power lies in intersectional solidarity—Queer and Latino, Jewish and Black, Asian and Indigenous, disabled and migrant—standing together against hate.
We’re Still Here
I end this post simply: I will not be quiet. I stand proudly—and defiantly—as a queer Latino who honors human dignity, critical thought, and ethical resistance. Laura Loomer’s call for Latinos to be fed to alligators is a genocide manifesto masquerading as a meme. We owe it to our communities—and to humanity itself—to recognize it, call it out, and stand as a living rebuke.
Queer Translation Collective 