Economic Anxiety and Immigration Concerns Push Latino Voters Away from Trump
In the political theater of 2024, it appears that the very issues that rallied Latino voters to President Donald Trump are now driving them away. Economic anxiety and immigration concerns, once cornerstones of Trump’s appeal, are beginning to overshadow his administration’s agenda.
Recent findings from a survey conducted by the U.S. Hispanic Business Council reveal a troubling sentiment among Hispanic business owners, a crucial demographic that once helped catapult Trump to the presidency. In this survey, a staggering 42 percent of respondents indicated that their economic situation has worsened, while only 24 percent reported any improvement. Furthermore, an overwhelming 70 percent identified the cost of living as a top-three issue facing the nation—more than double the number who flagged any other concern.
A particularly noteworthy statistic reveals that nearly two-thirds of those surveyed expressed greater trust in Trump than in then-Vice President Kamala Harris when it comes to managing the economy. “The broader Hispanic community certainly feels let down,” commented Javier Palomarez, president and CEO of the organization. “It would be different if immigration and the economy had not been principal talking points for Trump. On both fronts, we didn’t get what we thought we were going to get.”
The ongoing economic uncertainty, compounded by high prices exacerbated by Trump’s tariffs and aggressive immigration policies, is creating a perfect storm for many Hispanic entrepreneurs. These business owners are not merely facing economic hardship; they are navigating a landscape fraught with anxiety over immigration enforcement that has disrupted their communities.
Republicans, however, maintain that they are simply addressing the fallout from the previous administration. “Republicans are putting in the work to fix the Bidenflation mess we inherited,” declared Delanie Bomar, spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee. “From lowering inflation to creating a housing plan, President Trump is fighting for the working families Democrats left behind.”
Monica Villalobos, president and CEO of the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, shared a stark example from the South Phoenix area, where a restaurant suffered due to tariffs and labor shortages. Following a series of ICE raids, the establishment saw a significant drop in both customer and employee attendance, forcing it to close temporarily. Villalobos predicted that such incidents would have electoral repercussions for Republicans in the upcoming elections. “We certainly do sense that our members—our clients in Arizona and across the country—feel a sense of betrayal by this administration, given its excessive overreach,” she said. “Now that we’ve had a taste of [the Trump administration], I think you’re going to see a big shift [in the vote].”
In the 2024 election, Trump garnered 48 percent of self-identified Hispanic or Latino voters—the highest percentage for a Republican presidential candidate in at least fifty years—largely driven by economic concerns. Yet, current polling indicates a dramatic decline in Trump’s approval ratings among Latino voters as their dissatisfaction with the economy and immigration policies surges.
A November POLITICO poll revealed that 48 percent of Hispanic respondents felt the cost of living was at its worst in memory, with 67 percent placing the onus for addressing this crisis on the president. Similarly, a Pew Research poll from the same month found that 68 percent of U.S. Hispanics believe their circumstances have deteriorated over the past year, while 65 percent oppose the administration’s immigration policies. Alarmingly, 52 percent expressed fear that they or someone close to them could face deportation, a significant increase since March.
Trump’s net favorability rating among Latinos has plummeted to 28 percent, a notable 13-point decline since February. “Small business owners are becoming a swing constituency, especially with the midterms approaching,” noted Tayde Aburto, president and CEO of the Hispanic Chamber of E-Commerce. “And not because their values have changed—it’s just because their costs did.”
In recent elections, Latino voters have gravitated back toward Democrats. In Passaic County, New Jersey, they narrowly supported Trump in 2024 but later backed Democratic Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill by a significant margin. The election of a Democratic mayor in Miami for the first time in 28 years further underscores this shift.
These electoral outcomes serve as a referendum on Trump’s economic policies, asserted Christian Ulvert, a Democratic strategist. “[Trump’s] agenda literally does little to nothing to help Hispanic families,” he explained. “Worse, it preys on Hispanic families. What we heard on the campaign trail is that resoundingly, Hispanic families are saying, ‘no, my life is actually worse.’”
Joe Vichot, Republican Party chair in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania, highlighted the complexities within the Hispanic Republican community. While many support efforts to curb illegal immigration and combat crime, there are also stories of long-term residents caught in the deportation system, underscoring the need for a more nuanced approach. “There should be a way to find some type of common ground where that won’t happen,” he remarked.
In an attempt to counteract the declining economic sentiment, the White House has dispatched Trump and Vice President JD Vance to engage directly with working-class communities, delivering speeches on affordability. They insist that the economy is performing exceptionally well, bolstered by a December consumer price index report indicating a slower-than-expected rise in inflation.
“Joe Biden gave us a colossal catastrophe, but my administration has rapidly and very decisively ended that,” Trump stated during a recent speech in Detroit. “We have quickly achieved the exact opposite of stagflation—almost no inflation and super high growth.”
However, the reality is more nuanced; cooling inflation rates merely indicate that prices are not rising as quickly as before, yet many goods still remain significantly more expensive than in prior years. As Massey Villarreal, a Houston business executive, pointed out, “I’m like most Americans. I hear the inflation number and I don’t translate it to my going to the grocery store, when I look at the cost of hamburger meat.”
Palomarez likened the current situation to the Biden administration’s insistence on the health of the post-COVID economy while consumer sentiment slumped. “While we were talking about GDP and unemployment and job growth rates, people were worried about rent and the price of gas and the price of eggs. We’re seeing a similar disconnect here,” he stated.
In Chicago, a city marked by recent immigration enforcement actions, Hispanic-run businesses have felt the strain. Sam Sanchez, CEO of Third Coast Hospitality, lamented that 2025 has been one of the most challenging periods in his four decades of restaurant management, aside from the COVID pandemic. “It sends a really negative message to the 48 percent of Hispanic voters that voted for President Trump,” he said. “Everything’s just starting to fall apart.”
