WASHINGTON (February 26, 2025) — Latino leaders and members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus sharply criticized the Trump administration on Wednesday for focusing on high-profile immigration raids instead of addressing key economic issues affecting Latino communities.
Janet Murguía, president of UnidosUS, a civil rights group, called the raids “chaos, cruelty, and an unconstitutional abuse of power.” She emphasized that Latinos want the federal government to prioritize rising costs of living, affordable housing, and healthcare. “Instead, we’ve received nothing but fear and confusion from this administration,” Murguía said.
Frankie Miranda, president of the Hispanic Federation, pointed out that the economy was a major concern for Latinos who supported President Trump, especially in swing states. However, he argued that the White House has failed to address the two most pressing issues for Latinos: the economy and inflation. “It is heartbreaking to see the administration prioritize fear instead of providing opportunities for economic mobility,” Miranda said.
Concerns Over Mass Deportations and Self-Deportation Campaign
As the Trump administration moves forward with plans for mass deportations, immigration enforcement actions have been heavily publicized in Democratic cities such as Chicago and New York. U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem has also launched a self-deportation campaign, where immigrants without legal status will be encouraged to voluntarily register and deport themselves.
Rep. Adriano Espaillat, chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, criticized the administration’s focus on immigration, saying Democrats must narrow their message to focus on issues such as Dreamers and farmworkers. Dreamers are individuals brought to the U.S. as children without legal status but are protected from deportation under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which is currently facing legal challenges.
Fear in Latino Communities
Salvador Ontiveros, president of the Latino Community Development Agency in Oklahoma City, spoke about the fear Latino families face, particularly regarding sending their children to school. “Families are afraid their children will come home to find their parents gone,” Ontiveros said, referencing the fear caused by recent Republican efforts in Oklahoma to check students’ citizenship status. The governor has pledged to block the measure, but Ontiveros stressed the harm it causes to families, with some choosing isolation over education to feel safe.
Targeting Latino Communities in Chicago
In Chicago, Karina Ayala-Bermejo, president of the Instituto del Progreso Latino, discussed how the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement has particularly targeted Latino neighborhoods like Humboldt Park, a predominantly Puerto Rican area. She noted a significant drop in school attendance as a result of the fear generated by these raids. In Chicago, 1 in 4 children comes from a mixed-status family, where some members have legal status and others do not.
Ayala-Bermejo also shared that even her naturalized U.S. citizen parents are fearful of ICE encounters due to the administration’s aggressive policies. “We should never be in a country where our skin color or the languages we speak triggers ICE encounters,” she said, emphasizing that immigrants are not criminals.
Latino leaders are calling for a shift in focus, urging the government to address the real economic concerns of Latino communities rather than perpetuating fear through immigration crackdowns.
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