Focus groups: Latino Trump voters diverge on deportations but largely still back the president

Some divides are emerging among swing-state Latinos who voted for President Donald Trump erstwhile it comes to his attack to wide deportations, according to caller absorption radical conversations with immoderate of these voters, who nevertheless stay broadly supportive of the president.

Most of the Latino Trump voters who participated successful caller absorption groups observed by NBC News arsenic portion of the 2025 Deciders series, produced by Syracuse University and the probe firms Engagious and Sago, said they o.k. of Trump’s handling of amerciable immigration. And astir approved of his actions broadly arsenic president.

These voters were cardinal to Trump’s triumph successful 2024, erstwhile helium improved importantly among Latino voters compared to his erstwhile campaigns. The president mislaid Latinos by 5 points past year, aft losing the radical by 33 points successful 2020, according to the NBC News exit poll. Other estimates of the 2024 vote person indicated the wide shift, too, though immoderate person not shown rather arsenic overmuch movement.

The radical successful these absorption groups said they voted for Trump due to the fact that of concerns astir the economy, including inflation, and astir immigration. And astir of them were inactive down the president (all but 4 besides voted for Trump successful 2020).

“He’s keeping his promises and he’s doing what helium said helium was going to do,” David L., a 60 year-old Georgia elector who grew up successful Mexico, said of Trump.

But determination were cracks, albeit tiny ones, successful enactment for immoderate of Trump’s circumstantial policies. Two voters who supported Joe Biden successful 2020 and flipped to Trump successful 2024 said they would not ballot for Trump if fixed the accidental to redo their vote, choosing alternatively to backmost a third-party candidate.

One of those voters, Ruby L., 59, of Georgia, said she disapproved of Trump’s presidency truthful acold due to the fact that of imaginable cuts to programs similar Medicaid and due to the fact that of his attack to deporting undocumented immigrants.

“He was going to deport radical that were criminals and person backgrounds,” said Ruby, who was calved successful Colombia. “But I spot that he’s deporting radical that enactment hard and person been successful this country. I deliberation helium should find a mode to assistance them enactment and get a citizenship oregon something.”

Deportation divides

Ruby’s concerns astir wide deportations underscored immoderate divisions among these voters, adjacent arsenic they broadly supported Trump’s actions connected immigration. Three of the Trump voters disapproved of his handling of amerciable migration broadly, portion 10 approved. That whitethorn not bespeak Latino Trump voters’ wide views, because, dissimilar a poll, which uses statistical methods to show however a larger colonisation feels, absorption groups excavation deeper into however idiosyncratic panelists presumption cardinal questions facing the country.

“Most of these swing-state, Hispanic American Trump voters firmly endorse the president’s absorption connected amerciable immigration, though they privation much thoughtful prioritization regarding who gets deported sooner versus later,” said Rich Thau, president of Engagious, who moderated the sessions.

Several voters supported deportations of undocumented immigrants careless of whether they person committed crimes.

“Well, what bash you expect? If you came present illegally, you’ve done thing illegal. Expect the consequences,” said Justin O., 38, of Nevada, who was calved successful the United States and is of Mexican descent.

“If we’re not going to enforce laws, wherefore fuss adjacent having them?” said Zachary N., 40, of Michigan, who is besides of Mexican descent.

Maria P., a 40-year-old Nevada elector of Puerto Rican descent, said Trump’s absorption connected deportations is nary antithetic from that of erstwhile presidents, including Democrats Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.

“They each did it, but present it’s conscionable the archetypal clip everyone’s discussing it,” Maria said.

Connie A., a 59-year-old Arizona elector of Mexican descent, questioned wherefore an undocumented migrant who has been successful the state for decades had not attempted to use for a greenish paper oregon for citizenship.

“There’s not a nonstop path,” countered Mariana L., a 27-year-old North Carolina nonmigratory who was calved successful Venezuela and was 1 of respective participants who noted the way to becoming a ineligible resident, adjacent for those who privation to, tin beryllium difficult. Mariana was among the voters who did not o.k. of Trump’s handling of amerciable immigration, pointing to his move to revoke definite ineligible protections for immigrants from her location country.

“Changing those statuses is benignant of unfair for the radical that built their lives here,” she said.

Mariana and immoderate different voters besides said the medication should prioritize deporting undocumented immigrants who committed crimes.

“I conjecture they’re focusing connected some those who person committed crimes and those who haven’t,” said Jennifer L., a 44-year-old Michigan elector of Mexican descent. She approved of Trump’s wide show arsenic president but disapproved of his handling of amerciable immigration.

“There’s immoderate that are going backmost due to the fact that they should, but past determination are besides immoderate immigrants that are going that really, possibly they haven’t committed a crime,” she aboriginal added.

“He said helium was going to absorption connected the criminals and worldly similar that. And past there’s radical that are not criminals that are besides going,” said Oscar B., a 52-year-old Pennsylvania voter, adding that the Trump medication should instrumentality a much “tailored approach.”

Oscar, who was calved successful Venezuela, besides noted that helium has seen posts connected a section Facebook leafage for Latinos successful his country that pass astir Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids.

“People connected there, they marque posts wherever they speech astir ICE being successful the metropolis and not to spell retired of your house,” Oscar said.

Ruby of Georgia besides said she has seen “a batch of fear” successful her community.

“They’re acrophobic to spell retired and [they say], ‘Don’t spell retired if you’re a citizen, don’t spell retired without your citizenship certificate oregon immoderate due to the fact that you ne'er know,’” Ruby said. “So they’re creating that root of fearfulness astir the area.

Other voters, similar Maria from Nevada, appeared to wrestle with antithetic approaches to deporting undocumented immigrants who person been successful the state for years "giving backmost to society," she said.

“It is the law,” she aboriginal added, “but sometimes the instrumentality makes it astir intolerable for a batch of them to really go citizens astatine the extremity of the day. And that’s what we person to realize, also. So that’s wherefore I’m torn.”

“We spot successful their responses however conflicted immoderate of these voters are erstwhile it comes deporting longtime undocumented residents who person go de facto Americans, person families, wage taxes, unrecorded peacefully and lend to society," said Margaret Talev, manager of Syracuse University’s Institute for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship, which leads the absorption radical task successful concern with Engagious/Sago.

"Yet overwhelmingly they’re inactive supporting President Trump, showing the resilience of their loyalty and conscionable however motivated they are successful opposing amerciable immigration,” Talev said.

Los Angeles response

While determination were immoderate divisions implicit the Trump administration’s deportations, the Trump voters who participated successful the absorption groups broadly backed Trump’s effect to protests against ICE raids successful Los Angeles.

Ten of the 13 participants approved of the president’s determination to deploy California National Guard troops and hundreds of Marines, with respective voters describing the protests arsenic convulsive and destructive.

“Normally it mightiness beryllium benignant of retired of the ordinary, being that it was truthful aboriginal into the demonstrations. But I deliberation fixed the [Black Lives Matter] riots and everything our state went done a fewer years ago, and it being successful California wherever [Gov. Gavin] Newsom volition beauteous overmuch not enactment his ft down astatine all, I deliberation that helium had to get up of it, different we would beryllium seeing adjacent much of it,” said Rozlyn C., a 44-year-old Georgia elector of Cuban descent.

“These idiots are trying to teardrop down their city,” said Irma C., a 58-year-old Arizona elector of Mexican descent.

The fewer who disapproved of Trump’s actions described them arsenic “too overmuch excessively soon” oregon retired of bounds.

“There is simply a concatenation of bid that has to beryllium followed. A politician needs to petition — we can’t conscionable spell successful there, the authorities needs to request. Now, he’s conscionable wholly gone against that,” Justin of Nevada said, referring to Trump.

“The U.S. subject should ne'er beryllium utilized against its ain citizens ever. Period. Ever,” Justin aboriginal added.

Mostly affirmative connected economy

Several of these voters said they supported Trump due to the fact that they believed helium could champion code the system and precocious prices, and for the astir portion they similar what they’ve seen of Trump truthful acold connected those issues.

Eight voters said they consciousness little anxious astir the system compared to erstwhile Trump took bureau successful January. Just 2 said they were much anxious.

“The reduced anxiousness 8 of them consciousness astir the system aft conscionable 5 months reflects not lone their experiences arsenic consumers, but besides their religion successful President Trump arsenic businessman-turned-leader,” said Thau, the absorption radical moderator.

“As a small-business owner, my costs went up nether Biden,” said William A., a 60 year-old Georgia elector of Puerto Rican descent, suggesting Biden’s policies raised the terms of oil, which impacted “everything else.” In his view, Trump’s policies are “raising our substance accumulation and lowering substance costs.”

Mariana, the North Carolina elector who was calved successful Venezuela, said she backed Trump and the Republican Party due to the fact that of her concerns astir the economy. She said she’s seen section market prices spell down since Trump took office.

“I deliberation that the inflation, economy’s what they cognize and Trump being a businessman is conscionable what helium does and has been doing for a living,” she said.

But Jennifer, the Michigan voter, said precocious prices connected goods specified arsenic eggs, dairy, nutrient and nutrient person persisted, and she did not judge that Trump was making addressing ostentation a priority.

“I thought it would beryllium a apical precedence alternatively of renaming the Gulf of Mexico the ‘Gulf of America’ instead,” Jennifer said. “But hopefully it does happen. But definitely, successful Michigan present it has not — prices present person gone up and person stayed up.

A bulk of voters besides said they supported Trump’s actions connected commercialized and tariffs, with the remainder saying they bash not cognize capable astir the contented to measurement in.

Georgia's Rozlyn C. said she disagreed with the president’s determination to enforce tariffs connected immoderate countries with which the U.S. did not person a commercialized deficit. But she is inactive broadly supportive of the president.

“I deliberation helium has a expansive maestro program that astir of america astir apt don’t understand,” Rozlyn said. “But I person religion that he, a 100 percent, has the champion involvement of our state astatine heart.”