A decade after Donald Trump’s viral ‘I love Hispanics’ post, his administration is spearheading massive deportation drives, rounding up undocumented immigrants in Latino communities across the United States. The about-face has sparked widespread protests and a sense of betrayal among Hispanic voters who once supported him.
The Viral Post That Started It All
On May 5, 2016, then-Presidential candidate Donald Trump shared a photo on social media of himself smiling in his office, giving a thumbs up while eating a taco bowl. The caption read: ‘Happy #CincoDeMayo! The best taco bowls are made in the Trump Tower Grill. I love Hispanics!’ The post went viral within minutes, drawing swift backlash. Dozens of accounts replied with comments such as ‘Hispanics don’t like you’ and ‘If you like Latinos, why don’t you apologise about your negative comments towards us?’
Escalation of Deportations Under Trump’s Second Term
Ten years later, Trump’s administration has been leading massive deportation efforts, claiming to have deported ‘millions’ of ‘illegals’. Deportations continued after Trump left office in 2021 under Joe Biden, surpassing the record Trump set between 2017 and 2021. However, when Trump ran for President in 2024, he re-entered the Oval Office with a 49% support level from American Latinos. That support quickly plummeted.
Mass protests erupted in Los Angeles after ICE units descended on Hispanic neighbourhoods, arresting individuals on the streets. Similar scenes unfolded in several other cities. The detention of five-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos earlier this year sent shockwaves through the US. Ramos had just arrived home from preschool when he and his father were apprehended in their driveway. His story is not unique; dozens of other children remain in detention centres with their parents.
Impact on Latino Communities
An analysis from UCLA found that in Trump’s first six months back in office, immigration enforcement in Latino communities skyrocketed to unprecedented levels. Latinos accounted for nine out of ten ICE arrests at the beginning of 2026, despite evidence linking the arrests to higher crime levels. A CBS poll revealed that 70% of Latinos disapprove of Trump’s immigration policies, a sharp contrast to the 58% national average as of January 2026.
Janet Murguía, president and CEO of the nonpartisan advocacy organisation UnidosUS, told ABC that Latinos who voted for Trump and had family members lose their temporary protected immigration status felt ‘betrayed’. ‘This is looking like the countries where they came from, when they fled dictators and fascist regimes, and so I think they’re starting to see signs here that this is not what they bought into,’ she said.
White House Response
Despite decreased support from Hispanic communities that Trump once claimed to ‘love’, the White House has denied these reports. ‘President Trump campaigned on enforcing federal immigration law, and he received a sweeping mandate from the American people to carry out that agenda,’ White House deputy press secretary Abigail Jackson said earlier this year. ‘The President’s winning coalition included historic support from Hispanic voters with widespread backing among these voters for deportations.’ Metro has contacted the White House for a statement.
Ten years ago, Trump claimed to ‘love Hispanics!’ Now, the communities which helped him retake office are suffering the consequences of his hardline immigration policies.
