Commentary: From the ballot box to the streets, Latinos are blowing the whistle on Trump's reign

"After backing Republicans in record numbers last year, Latino voters swung decisively left in recent elections, fueling Democratic victories in New Jersey, Virginia and California. Trump's mass deportation campaigns - primarily targeting immigrants without criminal records - devastated his support among Latino voters who delivered him historic gains in 2024. Latino favorability toward Trump crashed from 45% in April to just 25% by October, signaling a dramatic reversal after 2024's surprising GOP surge."

"Armed agents have sauntered through downtown and manned a flotilla of boats on the Chicago River. They shot and killed a fleeing immigrant and raided an apartment building with the help of a Black Hawk helicopter. In nearby Broadview, home to the region's main ICE detention facility, rooftop migra shot pepper balls at protesters below, including a pastor. They even tear-gassed a neighborhood that was about to host a Halloween children's parade, for chrissakes."

"When I turned on my phone after landing at O'Hare Airport on Wednesday, texts poured in from friends and colleagues warning that I was about to enter a region under siege. Many sent a video from that morning of immigration agents running into a day care facility in Chicago's Roscoe Village neighborhood to pull out a teacher. It was the latest attack against the metropolis by President Trump's deportation Leviathan,"

Latino voters shifted decisively left after supporting Republicans last year, contributing to Democratic victories in New Jersey, Virginia, and California. Mass deportation campaigns largely aimed at immigrants without criminal records undermined Trump's support among Latino communities, with favorability falling from 45% in April to 25% by October. In Chicago, aggressive immigration enforcement included a day-care raid, armed patrols downtown and on the river, a fatal shooting of a fleeing immigrant, apartment raids using a Black Hawk helicopter, pepper-balling of protesters, and tear-gassing near a children's parade. A federal judge said tactics 'shock the conscience' and issued an injunction limiting use of force.

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