The first 100 days of Trump, as seen from the Latino perspective

On Tuesday, while Donald Trump celebrated his first 100 days as president, a group of Latino leaders, elected officials and community members gathered in historic downtown Los Angeles to discuss his actions and what they can do. 

During these 100 days, Trump has signed at least 142 executive orders, including several focused on immigration. Just this past Monday, he signed three additional ones, one that requires truck drivers to pass an English literacy test, another that targets sanctuary cities that are not cooperating with immigration detentions and one that expands aggressive law enforcement practices to local agencies and provides legal defense for police accused of misconduct. 

During the event “100 Days In: What It Means for Latino Unity” hosted by the Latino Media Collaborative (LMC), parent company of CALÓ News, panelists said the community must remain resilient and empowered.

“Don’t let the circumstances dictate your future,” said Richard Polanco, former California state senator.

David Huerta, president of SEIU-USWW, said many immigrants are already fighting for their future, despite the fear and anxiety. 

He recently asked a United Farmers Worker (UFW) representative about the ambiance in the fields and was told people are showing up to work because they have to provide for their families. 

“For Latinos, especially immigrant workers, the reality is that we cannot afford to take a day off because those wages represent the lifeline for our identity and there is no other replacement for that," said Huerta.

He said the immigrant community's actions truly shows how important working people, especially immigrants, are. 

‘We cannot wait for political parties to save us’

Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA), said while the face of immigration is multiracial, when it comes to deportation, it’s Latino.

There are about 47,000 detained across the country facing detention and the majority of them are from Latin American countries, she said.

“And right now, because of the lack of investment in immigrant rights organizations, our organizations are struggling to continue services,” said Salas. 

She shared her discontent with the Democratic party, stating that while the party has benefited from the Latino vote and work, when it comes time for bold representation, the politicians hesitate. She gave as an example immigration reform and when Democrats have had the opportunity to pass legislation, they have settled with non-permanent options without a path to citizenship instead, like Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or humanitarian parole.

“Obviously our adversary is the Trump administration and the MAGA base… but how strong is the Democratic party actually in defending us when we most need their defense and when we most need that leadership?” she asked. “We cannot wait for political parties to save us, we must save ourselves. We have the numbers.” 

Rudy Espinoza, CEO of Inclusive Action for the City, said the Trump administration fed the nation a false narrative that they were going to make a better country and stronger economy, but it wasn’t true.

“They were only talking about themselves, they were not talking about us,” said Espinoza. 

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Sonja Diaz, co-founder of Latina Futures 2050 Lab, said Latinos must be ready to have uncomfortable conversations in order to find answers. She gave as an example the last election, where data showed that Gen Z males showed strong MAGA support while Gen Z females supported Kamala Harris.

“We have to have the difficult conversations about immigrant and anti-immigrant sentiment, within misogyny, patriarchy, isolation, loneliness. These are things that we have to contend [with] because they are going to be with us for the rest of our lives,” she said.

Salas said Latinos must build a future where communities thrive. It starts by rejecting division between immigrants and U.S.-born Latinos, between generations and between urban and rural communities and by building intentional solidarity with other marginalized communities. 

“This attack on immigration and immigrants is about stopping a multiracial democracy from existing in this country,” she said. “If you seal off legal migration from Asia, Africa, Latin America, the MAGA base believes that a different demographic will return to this country.”

Participants said immigrants have power, both economic and political, and that’s why it is important to educate the community so they know their rights and continue organizing.