En esta noticia
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said immigration raids and episodes of racism against Latinos in the United States may have influenced some members of that community to shift their votes in last Tuesday’s midterm elections.
During her news conference Thursday, the president said it is “very likely” that immigration policies and operations by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had some impact among Latino voters who had previously backed the Republican Party.
Sheinbaum said she did not have data to establish a direct link between immigration operations and the election result. However, she said it was reasonable to think the raids and cases of discrimination based on ethnicity or skin color may have influenced some voters’ decisions.
The Mexican president made the remarks after election results showed gains for the Democratic Party, which won control of both chambers of the U.S. Congress.
According to data from Mexico’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, 17 Mexicans have died in the United States during ICE operations or while in ICE custody since 2025.
The Latino vote shifted, and immigration policy was one of the factors
A UnidosUS survey found that 67% of Latino voters backed Democratic candidates for the House of Representatives. The study also showed that 17% of Hispanics who voted for Donald Trump in 2024 supported Democratic candidates this time.
However, immigration policy was not the main issue for this electorate. Cost of living and inflation were cited by 58% of respondents as their top concerns.
Meanwhile, 27% pointed to immigration policy and ICE actions as relevant factors.
The data show that Latino voters’ behavior was tied to several issues, including the economy and immigration policy.
Sheinbaum highlighted candidates of Mexican descent
The Mexican president had also reacted Wednesday to the election results and highlighted the victories of Democratic candidates of Mexican descent, among them Xavier Becerra and Gina Hinojosa.
Sheinbaum said the results reflected a change in the “feelings of the American people” and highlighted the performance of candidates linked to the Latino community.
Her remarks Thursday came in that context, although the president herself acknowledged that she has no data allowing her to directly attribute the shift in Latino voting to immigration raids or racism.
The UnidosUS survey cited by the president shows that economic issues carried more weight than immigration policy among Latino voters’ main concerns.
With information from EFE