A new Pew survey says Latino pessimism is hitting record levels, which is remarkable considering the bar was already buried somewhere beneath the Permian Basin. Nearly 70% say life has gotten worse in just the last year, and four out of five explicitly blame Trump’s second-term policies — you know, the immigration crackdowns, the raids, the “economic strategy” that’s basically “good luck out there.”
Half of Latinos say they’ve struggled to afford basic necessities like food, housing, or medical care, even as federal data insists their incomes are supposedly rising. Meanwhile, 59% say they’ve witnessed immigration raids in their neighborhoods in just the past six months, which definitely does wonders for the ol’ “sense of belonging.” A full third have considered leaving the U.S., which says a lot about the vibe shift when this is the place they’re thinking of fleeing.
And here in Lubbock County, where roughly 36% of the population — more than 110,000 people — is Latino or Hispanic, this national trend hits a lot closer to home. That’s over a third of the community watching their economic security wobble while immigration enforcement ramps up right in their backyards. But sure, tell us again how this is all “great for the economy.”
Politically, it’s a tale of two realities: Latino Republicans think the economy is doing better but aren’t thrilled with the whole mass-deportation energy, while Latino Democrats are deeply negative on, uh… everything. And those 2024 GOP “historic gains” with Latino voters? Turns out Trump torched those faster than a Hub City cotton field in August.
With Latinos now the second-largest ethnic group — and a voting bloc that could swing Texas, Arizona, and California — Republicans head into 2026 looking like they accidentally hit “delete progress” on their electoral spreadsheet.
But sure, keep asking why the people you raid, underpay, and scapegoat aren’t lining up to vote for you. What could possibly be unclear?
https://www.axios.com/2025/11/24/pew-latinos-trump-poll-pessimism-economy
