Tag Archive for: hispanic voters

Hispanic Americans Eager for Bold Immigration Reform

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America’s immigration system is broken.

For decades, politicians have exploited this issue, making empty promises while we pay the price for their inaction. The consequences are devastating.

Deadly fentanyl has poured into our communities, human trafficking has thrived, and hardworking American families — including millions of Hispanic Americans — deal with the fallout of Washington’s failure.

Hispanic Americans understand the importance of both security and fairness when it comes to immigration reform. We have seen firsthand how unchecked illegal immigration strains public services, depresses wages and undermines opportunities in industries where Hispanics are overrepresented, such as construction and manufacturing. We overwhelmingly support policies that protect American jobs, crack down on drug cartels, and restore order at the border.

In recent years, we have witnessed a growing demand for strong leadership on immigration. Hispanics are not a monolithic voting bloc, and the idea that they support blanket amnesty and open borders is false. The results of the 2024 election reflected this reality: nearly half of Hispanic voters supported President Trump, who promised decisive action on immigration enforcement and economic prosperity. This is a clear mandate for bold reform.

The numbers underscore the urgency of the crisis. Over the past four years, more than 10 million illegal crossings have overwhelmed our immigration system. Violent criminals and drug traffickers have taken advantage of this chaos, with fentanyl overdoses claiming the lives of over 110,000 Americans in 2023 alone. Hispanic communities — already disproportionately affected by drug-related violence — have been on the frontlines of this devastation. Addressing this crisis is not just a matter of policy; it is a moral imperative.

While securing the border is essential, we must also recognize the millions of undocumented immigrants who already live and work in the U.S. These individuals are not just statistics; they are neighbors, coworkers, and fellow worshippers. The Republican Party now faces a challenge much like the one Ronald Reagan confronted: upholding the rule of law while addressing the reality of those already here. Reagan sought a solution in his time, yet many of the underlying issues persist to this day.

Republicans now have a rare opportunity to succeed where past efforts fell short by securing the border, restoring order, and enacting real, lasting reform — one that not only strengthens the nation but also provides a just and workable path forward. If met with both strength and compassion, this moment can fix our broken system and win the hearts and votes of Hispanics for generations.

For Hispanic Christians, this issue is deeply personal. Our faith calls us to uphold both justice and mercy. Rooted in biblical teachings, we believe in respecting the law and obeying the governing authorities while recognizing the God-given dignity of every person. We call on lawmakers from both parties to advance solutions that reflect both American values and Christian principles; and we are ready for a seat at the table, where our voices and values can shape policies that honor both our faith and our future.

The immigration debate is a test of leadership. Will we continue down the failed path of open borders and lawlessness, or will we have the courage to pursue policies that protect our families, our economy, and our future? Now is the time to rise to the challenge and demand the reform that our nation so desperately needs.

AUTHOR

Carlos Duran

Carlos Duran is founder and president of the National Hispanic Pastors Alliance, the fastest-growing Hispanic pastors organization in the country, representing thousands of local churches and Christian organizations.

EDITORS NOTE: This Washington Stand column is republished with permission. All rights reserved. ©2025 Family Research Council.

The Washington Stand is Family Research Council’s outlet for news and commentary from a biblical worldview. The Washington Stand is based in Washington, D.C. and is published by FRC, whose mission is to advance faith, family, and freedom in public policy and the culture from a biblical worldview. We invite you to stand with us by partnering with FRC.

Lifelong Hispanic Democrats Are Tired Of The Party’s Rule. Now, They’re Striving To Make History

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Many Hispanic voters in Texas’ historically blue Rio Grande Valley are fed up with Democratic Party rule and are looking to flip the area red Tuesday, locals told the Daily Caller.

The Valley, which borders northern Mexico and the Rio Grande River, is largely Hispanic. Many voters in the area are lifelong Democrats. Skyrocketing costs in one of the country’s poorest areas, a growing dissatisfaction with the Democratic party’s stance on culture war issues and a more energetic GOP, however, are all factors that may be pushing them across the aisle.

The five main counties that compose the Rio Grande Valley — Starr, Hidalgo, Willacy, Zapata and Cameron — all went heavily blue for Hillary Clinton in 2016.

But in 2020, Trump gained major ground in all five counties, even winning Zapata, the first time the county went red in 100 years, Zapata County Republican Chair Jennifer Thatcher told the Daily Caller.

“What they want is change,” Thatcher said of Zapata County voters. “Everybody’s tired of the same thing, you know, same empty promises and nothing getting done.”

In 2016, Clinton defeated Trump in Zapata, which is 94 percent Hispanic, with 65 percent of the vote to Trump’s 32 percent. But in 2020, Trump edged Biden 53-47, picking up 1,000 voters in the 12,000 person county.

That trend played out across the Rio Grande Valley. Trump picked up 69,493 votes across the five Valley counties from 2016 to 2020. Local Republicans believe he could make even bigger gains this time around.

“His support is just really remarkable,” Toni Trevino, Starr County’s Republican Chair, told the Daily Caller. It’s “off the charts, more so than in ‘16 and ‘20.”

While some voters in the border counties cited Trump’s immigration policies, it’s the economy and cost of living that seems to be by far the biggest reason for the shift.

“Things are getting very expensive,” Jorge Bazan, a Starr County voter who described himself as a “lifelong Democrat,” told the Caller. “To go to a restaurant, it’s expensive. Expensive groceries.”

Bazan, who works for a water company, says a foot of pipe used to cost his company $8 in 2020. Now, he says, it costs $21.

This time, he says he’s voting for Trump. “The economy was better when he was in office.”

Many Starr County Democrats voted blue for their local candidates but revealed to Trevino that they also voted for Trump, she told the Caller.

Another local organizer, Col. Ross Barrera, heard the same thing.

“A lot of the people, they were hinting to me, ‘Mr. Barrera, we’re voting Democrat locally, but at the national level, Trump.’ These are people who barely speak English. They’re first generation Mexican-Americans,” he told the Caller.

Former Democrats told Barrera, Thatcher and Trevino they were voting Trump because they’re hurting financially.

Voters often mention prices for groceries and other staples. “The main issue for these people is, of course, bringing money home” Barrera said.

The Rio Grande valley is one of the poorest areas in the U.S. The area has a 27 percent family poverty rate, according to the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. That number is well over double the national rate of 11.5 percent.

“To have there be such a tangible difference in the cost of living and in how much it costs us to feed and clothe our family and at the same time to have less job opportunities — or if we do have job opportunities, they’re lower-paying jobs — that is what I mean. People here, they saw the difference,” Trevino told the Caller.

“They saw the four years of Donald Trump, when their lives were better, and then they’ve seen the last four years when their lives have been not as good for their family.”

Despite the hardships, local Hispanic voters are not looking for handouts, Barrera said.

“The reason they come to America, not because they want abortions. They come because of jobs. These people, they want to work. They don’t want a giveaway. But the Democrats [say], “Oh, we’ll give you this. We’ll give you that. No, no, no, give me a job,” Barrera said.

While the economy appears to be the key catalyst in the valley’s rightward shift, other issues on the Democrat platform like the funding of foreign wars, border security, sex-changes for children and abortion (the area is heavily Catholic) are contributing to the party exodus as well.

For instance, Bazan mentioned abortion as a key issue for his rejection of Democrats, and county officials heard similar stories from others.

Still, the economy appears to be the main reason these voters are walking away.

“The economy, illegal immigration, inflation and oil, are the four key issues for voters in Starr County,” Barrera told the Caller. “Notice, I didn’t say anything about the transgender issue. Nothing about abortion. These are the issues that hit people hard. People want to work. They don’t want [the Democratic Party’s] ways.”

Flores illustrated her constituents’ opposition to Democrats by outlining their party platform.

“When the government leaves our border wide open, allowing 13,099 known murderers and 15,811 known [convicted sex offenders] into our country, people want a change. When the government advances legislation using tax dollars to pay for sex-changes for children, people want a change. When groceries become unaffordable and quality of life drops dramatically, people want a change. When we have crisis after crisis in our communities being ignored by our government while they’re sending hundreds of billions of dollars overseas, people want a change.”

The region has been reliably blue for decades. In 2020, The New York Times listed Texas as a toss-up, claiming Joe Biden could be the first Democrat to win the state since Jimmy Carter in 1976, citing “the arrival of a formidable multiracial Democratic coalition in the country’s largest red state.”

The outlet specifically cited the Hispanic vote and the Valley’s local Democratic candidates, who often run unopposed. That lack of opposition led to what former Republican Texas Rep. Mayra Flores called “single-party rule.”

“So many voters believe the only election of consequence is the primary election. Most voters, even those with conservative beliefs, vote in the Democrat primaries so they can have a say in who their locally-elected officials are,” Flores told the Caller. “It’s only recent that Republicans have been considered competitive in this area, and the investment in campaigning and outreach has been a priority.”

In the past it was frowned upon socially to not vote for Democrats, Barrera told the Caller.

“You couldn’t say you were a Republican because they would paint you as, ‘Oh, you want to be white. Oh, you wanna be rich. You’re in the wrong party.’” Barrera said.

But the tide is evidently turning.

In Barrera’s Starr County, Trump went from earning 19 percent of the vote in 2016 to 47 percent in 2020, narrowly losing to Biden despite picking up over 6,000 votes. Biden received 123 less votes in 2020 than Clinton did in 2016.

“I think it is almost certain that he will over-perform from 2020, and it is entirely possible that he sweeps the entire Rio Grande Valley,” Flores told the Caller.

The trend is playing out nationally too, as Trump is outperforming Kamala Harris with Hispanic male voters, according to an October AP/NORC poll.

Harris has struggled with Hispanic voters compared to her Democratic predecessors.

Hillary Clinton carried the Hispanic vote by 40 points and Biden did so by around 30. Harris led Trump by 12 points with registered Hispanic voters, according to an Economist/YouGov poll from late October.

Trevino and other party officials cited an uptick in the intensity and cohesion of their organizing efforts as part of why Trump has made these strides.

The area, which has one of the lowest turnout rates in the country, has experienced rapid growth in turnout in the last two presidential elections.

“Almost 12 percent of the early votes cast so far this year are from voters who have not voted in the last four elections,” Flores said. “The enthusiasm is high, but, at least in South Texas, seems to be one-sided.”

“Latino voters have been abandoned by the Democratic party. After decades of one-party rule, being taken for granted, and only seeing things get worse, they want a change.”

AUTHOR

Robert McGreevy

Reporter.

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EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna Slams Biden Admin, Says Hispanic Voters Are Leaving Dems ‘In Droves’

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Republican Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna slammed the Biden administration Monday on Fox News over their attempts to gain back Hispanic voters, stating that they’re leaving the Democrat Party “in droves.”

Luna appeared on “The Ingraham Angle” and host Laura Ingraham asked Luna why she thought the White House social media page had left off a Spanish translation for the administration’s post regarding International Transgender Day of Visibility.

“No, not at all – in fact it was intentional,” Luna said. “This administration has been angling to get back the Hispanic voting block, which Laura I’ll remind you that Hispanic Americans, specifically of Mexican descent, are now the largest voting minority in the country. This whole issue of Trans Awareness Day over Easter would not bode well, especially in the community, of which I so proudly represent – which is largely Catholic and Christian. So when they do this, it’s intentional. Laura, they are losing the Hispanic American vote in droves. I’m happy to say, because of that I do believe Trump will be winning in November.”

Luna went on to say the incident is not the “first time” the administration has “disrespected” Hispanic Americans, reminding the Fox host of when First Lady Jill Biden stated that Hispanics were as “unique” as tacos and when President Joe Biden played Spanish-hit song “Despacito” while speaking at a Hispanic Heritage Month event.

“It’s not the first time – remember we had Jill Biden calling us breakfast tacos. You had President Biden during his election playing ‘Despacito.’ So it’s not the first time this administration, and this president, have really disrespected Hispanic Americans. But, again, the top three issues are inflation, jobs, and the economy and so really when voters are faced with this in November they’re going to be looking at the message of the Republican Party and of President Trump versus this administration,” Luna stated.

“Frankly, they are, and by they I mean this administration, is working with Big Tech to censor that message to Hispanic Americans,” she continued. “Remember, only a few months back they actually purchased up a majority of conservative Spanish media and radio in an effort to push this and sway this election.”

In 2022, Republican lawmakers attempted to block a Soros-funded news company led by former Democratic staffers called the Latino Media Network from purchasing 18 Spanish-language radio stations for roughly $60 million. They were unsuccessful and the purchase later went through.

Former President Donald Trump has been gaining on key Democrat voting blocs, including the Hispanic vote, according to polls. In a recent New York Times/Siena College poll, Trump showed a six-point lead over Biden among Hispanic voters, sitting at 46% of the vote. While the margin of error for the poll is 10 percentage points due to the sample size not being “large enough to assess small differences reliably,” other polls have also indicated Hispanic support leaning towards the former president for 2024.

AUTHOR

HAILEY GOMEZ

General assignment reporter.

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Republican Mayra Flores Wins South Texas District Democrats Carried By 13 Points In 2020

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Republican Mayra Flores, a first-time candidate for elected office, won the special election in Texas’ 34th District to complete the term of former Democratic Rep. Filemon Vela, who resigned in March.

With more than 70% of votes counted, Flores held 51% support, and Democrat Dan Sanchez garnered 43.5%. Despite the presence of two other candidates on the ballot, one Democrat and one Republican, Flores was able to avoid a run-off. Several elections analysts called the race shortly after 10 pm Eastern Time.

The special election was spurred on by Vela’s resignation on March 31. The five-term moderate had announced in March 2021 that he would not seek re-election in 2022, and left the lower chamber on March 31 to take a job at the Washington, DC-based corporate law firm Akin Gump.

Vela won re-election by 13.6% in 2020, and Joe Biden won the district by four points.

Flores, who received endorsements from House GOP Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, won the primary on March 1 to run in November’s general election against Democratic Rep. Vicente Gonzalez. Gonzalez will attempt to switch districts from the 15th, which was redistricted into a toss-up seat. That new 34th District will lean 17 points towards the Democrats, according to FiveThirtyEight.

Elected Democrats and party strategists have repeatedly expressed concern that Hispanic and Latino voters are swinging towards the Republican Party. Biden’s approval rating with Hispanic and Latino voters sits in the mid-20s, several recent polls have shown, the worst of any ethnic group. The 34th District is 85% Hispanic, the U.S. Census found in 2020, one of the most Hispanic congressional seats in the country.

The Republican National Committee and GOP members of Congress have expanded outreach in Hispanic and Latino communities. House Republicans announced the Hispanic Leadership Trust in May, and co-chairman and Texas Rep. Tony Gonzalez campaigned for Flores. The RNC opened several Hispanic outreach centers in South Texas in 2021.

AUTHOR

MICHAEL GINSBERG

Congressional reporter.

RELATED ARTICLE: Special Election Could Give GOP A Chance To Prove Gains With Hispanics

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EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

Top Biden Pollster Warns ‘Most Americans Are Pissed’

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Top Biden Pollster Warns ‘Most Americans Are Pissed,’ Says Democrats Are Facing ‘Really Sour Environment’

President Joe Biden’s chief pollster John Anzalone warned Democrats about major electoral problems going into the 2022 midterms in an interview released Friday, although he believes that they can still avoid major losses.

Anzalone, who also worked on Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign, has previously warned of Biden’s low approval rating overall and among Hispanic voters in particular. He told Politico’s Ryan Lizza that voters are unhappy with the Democrats’ lack of action on key issues such as inflation and health care.

“Voters are very much in ‘What have you done for me lately?’ They always are. And they don’t feel Democrats can get their shit together and get things done,” Anzalone said.

“So if we’re able to do something — a skinny BBB or whatever — on health insurance costs, prescription drug costs, elderly care, childcare, that’s a big deal because it will give Democrats a competitive advantage on what they’re doing for working families. And it’ll cut through the inflation narrative, the Ukraine narrative, the Afghan narrative, the border narrative, etc.,” he continued.

Anzalone also pushed back on the perception that Hispanic voters primarily care about immigration.

“There’s this narrative in D.C. among Democrats that you only talk to Latinos about immigration. Like, immigration is the twelfth issue that they’re concerned about. It’s always about the economy or inflation or healthcare or schools,” he said.

Republicans are pinpointing a July special election in South Texas as a test of their newfound gains among Hispanic voters. Republican Mayra Flores, who will also seek a full term in November, is hoping that concerns about immigration and inflation will be decisive in flipping a seat formerly held by Democrat Filemon Vela.

Anzalone also argued that Democrats should push tax increases on wealthier Americans, adding that Democrats are too “scared of their own shadow” to do so.

“Biden’s proposal of making those making over $400,000 pay a little bit more taxes and big corporations pay a little bit more taxes so they pay their fair share to make investments in healthcare and education and childcare is really important,” he claimed. “Most Americans are pissed at the fact that they pay their fair share in taxes as middle-class people. They work hard. They want to see the benefits of the economy.”

Election forecasters believe that Republicans could pick up as many as 35 seats in the midterms, which would create the party’s largest majority since the Great Depression. Anzalone believes that such losses could be in the cards for Democrats if they do not act quickly.

“No one’s going to sit there as a Democratic consultant and try to bullshit you that this is anything but a really sour environment for Democrats,” he said.

AUTHOR

MICHAEL GINSBERG

Congressional reporter.

RELATED ARTICLE: Are Latinos Really Abandoning Dems? Poll Analysis Gives New Insight

EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.