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Voice of the Voter | Lawrenceville auto shop operator appreciates Trump's message on immigration, economy

Arturo Robles runs 88 Auto Body Shop in Gwinnett County.

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — The presidential election is now over, but the mission of 11Alive's Sunday politics show, The Georgia Vote, remains unchanged: make sure everyday Georgians remain at the center of the political conversation.

In this week's segment of the Voice of the Voter, 11Alive talks to a metro Atlanta man who operates a business in Gwinnett County. 

Meet Arturo Robles, operator of an auto shop in Gwinnett County

He started 88 Auto Body Shop in Lawrenceville back in 2016 with his family, he said.

"You learn every day something new," he said.

The secret to success, said Robles, is "the people that you have around you."

Credit: WXIA

Issues he cares about

Robles said he was excited to see Donald Trump win a second term in office.

"I'm so happy," said Robles. "Extremely happy."

The economy

"I was born in Cuba but I lived in Venezuela," said Robles. "I was a Venezuelan citizen. And when we check what happened there, that many kids died because they don't have medicine, don't have nothing."

"Then we have another part [of Venezuela's population] that goes to the very expensive places," he continued. "But that represents the five or six or seven percent of all the country."

Robles said he worried about a similar scenario playing out in America.

"Maybe we'll not be in the next few years," he said. "But the way that it's running, it's like that."

Immigration

"I think the state needs to check the background for each person," said Robles. "The bad person that is not good to us, go back. You cannot be here."

Robles, an immigrant himself, said many immigrants work at his shop.

"I have many guys here that is a worker, is a good worker, is a good person," he said.

But Robles also pointed to the killing of Laken Riley on UGA's campus earlier this year as an example of what he argues are the potential dangers of immigration. The man accused of killing her was allegedly in the country unlawfully at the time of the attack.

Others have argued that one man's alleged actions should not be used as a metric to judge all immigrants.

When asked how he reacted to President-Elect Trump's frequent campaign messages about border security, Arturo said: "I loved that."

Other issues

In addition to the economy and immigration, Robles said his opposition to abortion and concern about the ongoing wars in Gaza and Ukraine influenced his support for Trump.

What he's optimistic about

Robles said he's got a lot to be optimistic about and is looking forward to Trump's return to the White House.

"I really feel that the economy will be better," he said.

Watch our Voice of the Voter segment during The Georgia Vote every Sunday at 11 a.m. on 11Alive.

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