According to a Pew Research Center poll released on Monday, four out of five Latinos in the United States (80%) say that President Donald Trump's policies are harmful to Hispanics, and 71% believe he has gone too far with deportations. The study, conducted among 8,046 adults, including 4,923 Latinos, analyzes how Latinos perceive their situation in the country during the first year of Trump's second term and compares these perceptions with those of his first term (2017-2021). Noé-Bustamante, a researcher at the Pew Research Center, told EFE that it is "interesting" that regarding opinions on deportations, more Latinos now say the Trump administration has gone too far compared to responses from February and March. He detailed that this is a trend observed regardless of political affiliation. The research reveals a sustained increase in fear related to immigration policy: 52% of Latinos fear that they or someone close to them could be deported, up from 56% last March and 42% at the start of the first term. Overall, 70% of Latinos disapprove of the way Trump is handling his job as president, and 65% disapprove of the administration's approach to immigration. Latinos Disapprove of the Economy Additionally, 61% believe that Trump's economic policies have worsened their situation, according to the poll, with a margin of error of plus or minus 1.7 percentage points. For Bustamante, a key finding is related to affordability: "Full-time working Latinos are just as likely as unemployed Latinos to say they have had difficulty paying for food, health care, or housing," he explained. "In fact, nearly half of all Latinos report having had trouble affording at least one of these basic needs," he added. Furthermore, the majority of the Latino population, which numbers around 60 million in the U.S., continues to evaluate the country's economy negatively, and about half expect the situation to worsen in the coming year. However, another 50% expect an improvement in their personal finances, reflecting a mix of concern and hope. "Pessimism" Among Latino Trump Supporters Among his supporters, the Republican has also lost backing. Opinions of Latinos on Trump are divided by their 2024 vote: 81% of Latino Trump voters approve of his performance, though this figure has dropped from 93% at the start of his term, while nearly all Latino voters for Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate in 2024, disapprove of the president. Bustamante said that while the poll "shows growing pessimism among Latino adults in the U.S."
