Washington, DC – Below is a column by Maribel Hastings from America’s Voice en Español translated to English from Spanish. It ran in several Spanish-language media outlets earlier this week:
Although it is often said that the only poll that counts is the vote on Election Day, all signs point to the Democrats potentially winning control of at least the House of Representatives in the midterm elections. And the high cost of living and a violent immigration policy affecting undocumented immigrants, legal residents, and citizens seem to be mobilizing voters.
This is especially true for Latinos, who in the 2024 general election increased their support for Donald Trump, who promised to lower the cost of living and deport “criminals.” But his public policies—including his war in Iran, his tariff war, and a brutal campaign of arrests and deportations that has swept up even citizens and deprived key sectors of our economy of their workforce—have ultimately driven up the cost of goods and services for everyone.
To that end, America’s Voice launched a billboard campaign this week along major highways in five states—Texas, North Carolina, Georgia, Iowa, and Minnesota—with a simple message: “Stop the violence.”
The goal is to remind residents and voters that Trump’s immigration policy—which focuses on detaining and deporting primarily parents and workers—has resulted in deaths at the hands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. Examples include U.S. citizens Renée Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota. In Texas, ICE claimed the lives of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo—a construction company owner who had lived in the United States for 35 years, had children who were U.S. citizens, and was in the process of regularizing his immigration status—and Rubén Ray Martínez, a 23-year-old U.S. citizen who was shot on South Padre Island.
These are just a few examples, because the violence occurs at every level—in the actions of masked, trigger-happy agents against undocumented immigrants, residents, and citizens; in detention centers where, in recent days, another Mexican immigrant died—the 18th such death since Trump took office in January 2025.
On the website endmassdeportation.org, America’s Voice points out that the enforcement of immigration laws has gone too far. “Masked agents. Families pulled from cars. Children taken from their families. People shot in the streets. US citizens racially profiled. This is what immigration enforcement has become, and Americans know it has gone too far. It is time to end the cruelty and restore the rule of law,” the website states.
In fact, a recent NBC News poll found that two-thirds of Latinos believe Trump’s deportation policies have gone too far, and 69% disapprove of his handling of immigration issues.
On the same topic of Trump’s immigration strategy, a new poll by N+Univision and YouGov found that “79% of Florida Democrats say he has gone too far, compared to 44% of independents and 15% of Republicans. The statewide figure is 44%. Among Latinos, 55% share that view.”
In areas that voted for Trump in 2024—in key states such as Florida, Texas, and Arizona—voters are upset about the high cost of living and immigration policies that affect mixed-status families, such as the termination of TPS, the end of humanitarian parole, and the detention and deportation of people with no criminal history.
CNN spoke with a Cuban-American woman who voted for Trump and is now canvassing neighborhoods to ensure people turn out to vote for Democrats.
La Opinión quotes Chris Martínez, a 28-year-old maintenance technician from Casa Grande, Arizona, “who voted for Trump in the hope of a stronger economy and fewer international conflicts. He says his economic situation has worsened.”
“He’s not doing anything for us, for our benefit. And it’s a shame because I was deceived, and I feel like a fool,” Martínez said.
Over the past few years, Latino voters have become increasingly swing voters, favoring the party they believe offers better alternatives but withdrawing support when promises aren’t kept.
It remains to be seen how this voting group will behave on November 3, but its presence in key districts and states could be a major factor in a change of leadership in Congress. And there’s no doubt that they seem to have said, ‘Stop the violence,’ to Trump’s immigration policy.
The original Spanish version is here.
