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The Latino Newsletter’s 121st week is ending, and the pitches we are receiving make it clear the 2026 midterms are almost here. One of those pitches interested me this week, but then the Signal Awards news came in, so I pivoted.
I still want to feature more of what is happening in our community, so I thought highlighting one event from earlier this week would help.
As someone who has covered Latino politics for two decades, I have always been fascinated when I see bipartisan initiatives that put the community first.
That is what happened this past Tuesday when the Comité de 100, a bipartisan coalition of 100 prominent Mexican American and Latino business leaders working on what they call “common-sense immigration solutions,” held a virtual press conference where more than 250 individuals from across the political spectrum unveiled a letter and campaign calling on President Trump and Congress to provide work permits and legal protections for long-term undocumented immigrants.
“Like our community, the signatories of this letter span the political spectrum. We may be MAGA, we may be progressives, we may be somewhere in between. We are all united in demanding that both Republicans and Democrats in Washington deliver solutions that allow long-term undocumented immigrants, many of whom have worked, paid taxes, and contributed to our communities, families, and workplaces for decades, long-term solutions that allow them to live and work legally without fear. We cannot wait,” the letter begins.
“In July, Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, an undocumented long-term immigrant and father of three with no criminal record who had lived in the U.S. for decades, and Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero, a young father with a legal work permit, were killed by ICE officers in Houston, Texas, and Biddeford, Maine, within a week of each other,” it continues.
The letter notes that nearly two in three Latino voters surveyed — 63% — said the treatment of immigrants is one of their top issues heading into the 2026 election, and that 75% said they would be more likely to support a candidate who backs work permits for long-term undocumented immigrants who have been working and paying taxes in the United States.
“We, the Hispanic voters, are fed up. As a longtime Republican, I’ve seen voters who supported President Trump and Republicans turn against this mass deportation agenda. We are losing our workforce because of these deportations, and there is simply no way we can sustain our economy without the long-term immigrants who have helped make our prosperity possible,” said Massey Villarreal, CEO of Precision Task Group, Co-chair of Comité de 100, and a former Chairman of the Republican National Hispanic Assembly (RNHA), in the Tuesday press conference. “The polling makes clear that Latino voters reject the false choice between enforcing our laws and providing legal solutions.”
“I’m calling on President Trump to remove Stephen Miller and give the Republican Party a chance to maintain its edge. Otherwise, Stephen Miller will bear responsibility for Republicans losing their majority,” Villarreal added.
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What We’re Reading
Latinos and the Ocean: This week, we also received the following poll results from Azul about Latino voters and how they feel about environmental and ocean protections.
Here are some of the topline findings from the poll’s media release:
Ninety-four percent of Latino voters say environmental issues such as pollution and global warming are personally important to them, including 59 percent who say they are very important.
80% of Latino voters say they would be more likely to support a candidate who backs stronger policies to protect the coastline and ocean.
90% say clean beaches and oceans are essential to the economy and quality of life.
86% say government has a responsibility to conserve land and ocean areas for the enjoyment of present and future generations.
76% say the ocean is important to maintaining their family's traditions and culture.
Happy weekend. We will drop more American Colony episodes next week!
Julio Ricardo Varela is the founder of The Latino Newsletter. He is also its current part-time publisher and executive director. He edited and published this edition.
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