All posts tagged: Latino

One in five Latino Trump voters in Texas would not repeat vote if given redo

One in five Latino Trump voters in Texas would not repeat vote if given redo

Published by Sam Flores

One in five Latino Texans who voted for President Donald Trump in 2024 would not support him again if given a redo, according to a new poll released Wednesday. In a survey of 500 registered Latino voters, the Latino civil rights organization UnidosUS found that two-thirds disapprove of Trump’s job performance, the same share that said they did not feel Trump and congressional Republicans were “focusing enough on improving the economy for people like you.” Nearly half of voters cited cost of living and inflation as a top issue shaping their view of Trump — more than any other issue, with immigration enforcement in cities also ranking high in the list. “The economic priorities dominate,” said Clarissa Martínez De Castro, vice president of the group’s Latino Vote Initiative. “Some people call it ‘buyer’s remorse,’ other people ‘do over.’” The poll is the latest to cast doubt on the durability of Latino support for Trump and the Republican Party in a state he won by a wide margin two years ago, in large part due to …

The Latino vote is up for grabs in California’s key primary races

The Latino vote is up for grabs in California’s key primary races

Published by Sam Flores

The California primary election is only four days away and the two most hotly contested races of the cycle — the gubernatorial and Los Angeles mayoral races — are still up for grabs. Once again, the voting bloc that has inspired the most intrigue is the state’s sizable Latino electorate. Across California, the demographic makes up 40% of the population, and accounted for 30% of registered voters in the 2024 general election. In L.A., almost half of the city’s population is Latino, but Latinos make up 37% of the city’s electorate. In both races, candidates have, to varying degrees, been courting the ever-elusive Latino vote. Republican gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton proudly hoisted “Barstow street tacos” — a.k.a. Del Taco hard shell tacos — as he stood near a busy thoroughfare in the high desert earlier this month. Meanwhile, billionaire Democratic contender Tom Steyer participated in a not-so-organic sock check with the popular meme page Foos Gone Wild, hosted a content creator meet-up at famed L.A. Oaxacan restaurant Guelaguetza and gained endorsements from prominent Latino influencers. …

Black and Latino civil rights leaders urge unity in L.A. town hall

Black and Latino civil rights leaders urge unity in L.A. town hall

Published by Sam Flores

On Thursday, leaders from prominent civil rights organizations and labor unions gathered with L.A. community members to discuss the economic and political issues being faced by Black and Latino communities in the U.S. — many of whom remain overworked, underpaid and under-protected. The main speakers at the event were Janet Murguía, president and CEO of the Latino civil rights advocacy group UnidosUS; Marc H. Morial, former New Orleans mayor and current president and CEO of the Black civil rights organization National Urban League; and David Huerta, the president of the California service workers unions SEIU-USWW and SEIU California. The trio spoke largely to a crowd of Latino and Black SEIU union workers — who donned T-shirts emblazoned with slogans calling for respect, safety and fair pay for service workers — and National Urban League members. (Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times) Attendees chanted “Si se puede” and “When we fight, we win,” which originated from Dolores Huerta. Celebratory olé-style songs also broke out among the attendees, as they sipped on café de olla and snacked …

How Riverside County led a wave of Latino home-cook entrepreneurs across the state

How Riverside County led a wave of Latino home-cook entrepreneurs across the state

Published by Sam Flores

At first glance, the outside of Marcella Guerrero Carrillo’s house is indistinguishable from any of the other single-family homes found in her quiet Perris neighborhood. The one exception: a small banner planted in her front porch’s flower bed, showcasing a bright-purple octopus intricately laid out on a wooden cutting board, and overlaid with the name “Mariscos El Panzas”— the name of her home-based restaurant, which she’s been running out of her small kitchen for the last four years. Guerrero Carrillo is among a growing number of Latino entrepreneurs within Riverside County — and across California — who have started a home-based restaurant thanks to a state law enacted six years ago that has carved a pathway for residents to legitimize a practice that has long operated in the shadows. “I’m very thankful and very comfortable with what I’ve made and accomplished,” Guerrero Carrillo said in Spanish. “Thanks to this, I can be with my children, I’m able to go pick them up [from school], wake them up, drop them off and I am teaching them …

These Latino poets explore the concept of sovereignty — or, what it means to belong to yourself

These Latino poets explore the concept of sovereignty — or, what it means to belong to yourself

Published by Sam Flores

What does it mean to belong to yourself? To be autonomous? To have sovereignty and power? When curating this poetry series for De Los, I thought of the poets I know who speak most to Latines and their respective autonomies. I reached out to writers who not only I admire but also create work beyond beautiful words. Audre Lorde once stated that poetry “lays the foundation for a future of change, a bridge across our fears of what has never been before.” So, I reached out to some poets I know — who not only do the tremendous work of creating bridges themselves, but giving their readers the power to do the same. Matthew “Cuban” Hernandez is a teaching artist who works with youth in detention centers throughout Los Angeles, providing them with tools to express themselves in ways that heal. Karla Cordero is a Chicana educator whose work lives in our borderlands and bridges community into artistry by curating open mics and an online poetry journal. Sonia Guiñansaca is a queer Indigenous cultural leader …

Trump’s approval ratings just hit a new low. A Latino voter shift could reshape the midterms

Trump’s approval ratings just hit a new low. A Latino voter shift could reshape the midterms

Published by Sam Flores

WASHINGTON — With the Iran war in its fifth week, support for President Trump is at its lowest point ever, with a growing body of recent polling showing him losing ground with key voting blocs that helped power his 2024 victory. While public dissatisfaction is evident among many groups surveyed, the decline in support for the president has been most pronounced among Latino voters. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released March 24 found 36% of voters approve of the president’s job performance, the lowest it has been during his second term. The poll found 62% disapproved. Other polls, such as the AP-NORC poll, placed the figure at 38%. In all, the president is underwater on almost every single public policy issue. With the exception of crime, which sits around 47% approval, he has recorded no gains in any polled category, according to experts. On immigration, the president’s marquee issue, approval fell from roughly 45% in late 2025 to 39% in February, according to Reuters. About 1 in 4 respondents approved of Trump’s handling of the economy, Reuters found, as …

The Latino vote is rapidly shifting away from Trump and Republicans

The Latino vote is rapidly shifting away from Trump and Republicans

Published by Sam Flores

In 2024, Donald Trump dramatically improved his performance among nearly all groups of voters from four years earlier. Trump’s growth among Hispanic voters was especially notable, increasing by more than 10 points from 2020 to 2024, at least according to exit polls.This led to a considerable amount of commentary speculating that Hispanic voters, historically more supportive of Democrats, might continue shifting toward the GOP.News reports suggesting Latinos were critical to Trump’s 2024 victory were, in our view, overblown. Even if Latinos had not shifted, Trump still would have won in 2024. Yet there is no question that over the past three election cycles, Latino voters – Latino men under 40, in particular – have shifted right. That change has benefited GOP candidates, even as the majority of Latinos still voted for Democrats. However, evidence from general elections in 2025 in places such as New Jersey, New York and Virginia, as well as special elections in 2026, suggest an abrupt correction is underway, with some of the Latino voters who backed Trump now swinging back to …

Alvin Ailey Dance Theater brings storied Afro Latino history to L.A.

Alvin Ailey Dance Theater brings storied Afro Latino history to L.A.

Published by Sam Flores

For nearly 70 years, the famed Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater has been showcasing Black talent and culture through dance. The troupe, which features Afro Latino talent and dance elements, is bringing its robust program to L.A. this week. Founder Alvin Ailey’s technical approach to dance combined modern dance, ballet and jazz — among other dance forms — in an attempt to blur the traditional boundaries of the dance world. Part of the organization’s mission was not only to uplift African American storytelling through movement, but to also highlight Black culture from across the globe. In 2025, the Ailey Theater celebrated Afro Caribbean culture through its production of “Jazz Island,” choreographed by Maija García. Channeling her Cuban roots and intensive research on Caribbean folklore tradition, García crafted a 25-minute show inspired by author Geoffrey Holder’s nonfiction book “Black Gods, Green Islands,” which highlighted the rhythms and energies of the Afro Caribbean diaspora. Sebastian Garcia, a 10-year dance professional in his first year with the Ailey Theater, told The Times he was especially impressed with the …

How the Cesar Chavez allegations impact the Latino community 

How the Cesar Chavez allegations impact the Latino community 

Published by Sam Flores

IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser. FDA pulls proposed rule banning minors from tanning beds 03:00 Jury finds Elon Musk liable for misleading investors ahead of Twitter acquisition 02:50 Trump weighing several options for U.S. troops in Iran 10:19 Epstein’s former lawyer answers questions in House deposition 03:39 Man causes over $240,000 in damage to glass Chihuly sculptures in Seattle 01:37 Joseph Duggar of ’19 Kids and Counting’ accused of molesting a minor 03:42 New interview with Dolores Huerta sheds light on allegations against Cesar Chavez 07:34 ‘We did it America, freedom of speech’: Rapper Afroman wins police defamation case 03:08 Florida officials post spring break busts on social media 03:19 Concerns grow over minors betting as former underage gamblers speak out 05:50 ABC cancels ‘The Bachelorette’ after new video shows star assaulting ex-partner 03:09 Former FBI Director Comey subpoenaed in Trump-appointed prosecutor’s conspiracy probe  02:13 Body of missing University of Alabama student found on beach in Spain 02:03 ‘Call a boomer’ public phones help connect …

Young Latinos – and their commitment to social justice – are shaping the future of the Catholic Church

Young Latinos – and their commitment to social justice – are shaping the future of the Catholic Church

Published by Sam Flores

(The Conversation) — On Ash Wednesday, 2026, two Roman Catholic priests and a religious sister entered an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview, Illinois, to celebrate Mass with detainees inside. It might seem like a simple, routine event: a religious service to mark the start of Lent. But the Mass represented a legal win for the Coalition for Spiritual and Public Leadership, based in Chicago. Among its founders are Michael N. Okińczyc-Cruz and Joanna Arellano-Gonzalez, a young married couple dedicated to advocacy for migrant rights. The coalition and other Catholic leaders sued the Trump administration after attempts to bring spiritual care to detainees in 2025 were blocked. On Feb. 18, 2026, a federal judge ordered authorities to allow clergy inside for Ash Wednesday. That same day, Catholics in Communion, a new coalition of ministry organizations, religious orders, academic leaders and parish partners, launched its Season of Faithful Witness campaign. Spearheaded by faith-based community organizers such as Joseph Tomás McKellar and Sergio Lopez, the initiative invites Catholics to practice solidarity by praying and advocating on …