Washington, DC — Today, America’s Voice convened leading experts and political practitioners to recent polling and the 2025 election results through the lens of Latino political engagement and immigration attitudes – and to discuss related implications for the 2026 policy and political landscape.
Vanessa Cárdenas of America’s Voice was joined by experts from Third Way, which recently released national and battleground immigration polling; UnidosUS, which recently released polling on Latino voters’ priorities nationally and in key states; and Make the Road New Jersey Action and CASA in Action, who highlighted their political programs in the 2025 elections in New Jersey and Virginia respectively.
Lanae Erickson, Senior Vice President for Social Policy, Education & Politics, Third Way, said: “Our polling shows a profound trust gap in immigration politics. Voters are losing confidence in Republicans, but that hasn’t translated into increased trust in Democrats—and that should be a wake-up call. Voters support enforcement, but they are deeply uncomfortable with how it’s being carried out. They want boundaries, competence, and balance. For Democrats, the path forward is not to shy away from immigration, but to prove they can govern it responsibly and in a way that prioritizes the safety and stability of American communities.”
Clarissa Martinez de Castro, Vice President, UnidosUS, said: “Hispanic voters’ message is clear: lower prices, raise wages. Yet they feel their economic situation is worsening and now feel that their own government is putting their civil rights and personal safety at risk. The top issues shaping Hispanic voters’ views of the President are the cost of living and immigration arrests and detentions happening in US cities, and the majority disapprove of his and Congressional Republicans’ job performance. It is not surprising that they are sending an unequivocal message to Congress: do your job. Eight in 10 are concerned Congress is giving up too much unchecked power to the Presidency.”
Nedia Morsy, Executive Director, Make the Road New Jersey Action, said: “Latino voters have actually been incredibly consistent about what their needs and their concerns are. They want to be able to provide for their family, they want to make sure that when their children go to school, they’re safe, they want to be able to build a life and enjoy old age here in the United States. And so, I really do believe that what we are witnessing is Latino voters responding in real time to the identity crisis that parties are experiencing, and the realignment that they are sifting through.”
William Renderos, Electoral Program Director, CASA in Action, to discuss Virginia, said: “In Manassas Park, Manassas, and Prince William County, places with huge Latino populations, we saw major swings because people were hearing messages that reflected their lives. We saw the Salvadoran voter turnout in Virginia!” CASA in Action engaged 31,772 low-propensity Black and Latino voters across Prince William, Stafford, Chesterfield Counties, and Virginia Beach, with that voter universe seeing our message over 2.2 million times in our layered program. Earlier in the year, we launched an inaugural narrative-change, deep canvassing program in Virginia, first in Prince William County and then in Fairfax County, aiming to reverse the course of blaming immigrants, toward inaction by corporate politicians and the billionaire class.
Vanessa Cárdenas, Executive Director, America’s Voice, said, “At a time when economic anxiety and the cost of living is the central concern of Latinos and most American voters, the Trump team seems singularly obsessed with demonizing immigrants and weaponizing mass deportation – and in fact are doubling down on their anti-immigrant obsession by expanding their road show of chaos and violence to other cities. The mass deportation agenda makes us poorer, weaker, and less safe and it’s incumbent on candidates and elected officials in both parties to chart a different, better way forward.”
RESOURCES
- Access a recording of today’s virtual press event: HERE
- Read UnidosUS Poll: “Latino Voters Sound Alarm Over Lack of Congressional Oversight; GOP Largely Blamed for Government Shutdown”
- Read Third Way Poll Memo: “Americans Caught Between Trump’s Cruelty and Democrats’ Chaos”
- America’s Voice November polling memo: “5 key takeaways about Americans’ current immigration public opinion views
