Why Latin far-right numbers are rising

For decades, the The Democratic Party has dominated the Latino vote because of shared values ​​such as civil rights and immigration reform. However, over the past decade, part of the influential Latin voting bloc has drifted to the far right. In Paola Ramos’ new book: “Defections: The Rise of the Latino Far Right and What It Means for America‘, she breaks down the deeply internalized cultural, historical and psychological forces that drive this small but growing group towards extremism.

“Over the past few years, I have interviewed Latinos along the border, in evangelical communities and in Miami, trying to understand why Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric was normalized. Christian nationalism and anti-communist messages resonated with them,” says Ramos. “Writing this book allowed me to fully process these trends and categorize these patterns as tribalism, traditionalism and trauma.”

Ramos noticed a shift in 2016 during Hillary Clinton’s campaign for president, noticing the unexpected lower turnout of Latin American voters. But the book’s concept was amplified during the November 2020 election, after observing the normalization of Trump’s anti-immigrant sentiments.

Overall, according to the Pew Research Centeran estimated 36.2 million Latinos will be eligible to vote this year, up from 32.3 million in 2020. That’s about 15 percent of eligible voters.

According to a new national NBC News/Telemundo/CNBC poll54 percent of Latino voters support Harris. Meanwhile, 40 percent of Latinos support Trump, and 6 percent are unsure or would not vote at all. This shift could have happened major consequences for the coming electionspotentially reshaping the political landscape.

“If that’s not alarming to political strategists, then I think this is a huge disservice to Latinos because we need to understand Why this happens sociologically and Than politics,” says Ramos.

Ramos’ concept of tribalism, traditionalism and trauma reflects the firmly entrenched identities that Latins have – think of internalized racism, colonial legacies and political trauma.

We interviewed Ramos to explore all three aspects of what drives conservative Latinx voters in this election cycle. With less than two weeks to go until Election Day, understanding this voting bloc has never been more urgent.

Tribalism: internalized racism and belonging

One of the people Ramos interviewed for her book was self-identified independent reporter Anthony Aguero, who publishes his work on “an online platform he co-founded, Border Network News, along with a fellow Latino who goes by Oscar El Blue , to report on immigration. Aguero has dedicated his work to hunting down migrants, persistently calling them “illegals” and “smugglers” and associating them with the Third World. Ramos found that the “data does not support Anthony’s criminalization of the migrant community.”

Although there is a need for serious immigration reform at the US-Mexico border, many misconceptions about Latin American immigrants still exist. According to Ramos’ reporting, the Texas Department of Public Safety confirmed that “Undocumented immigrants are less likely to commit crimes“than native Americans, Victims of domestic human trafficking are U.S. citizensaccording to UNICEF, and 80 percent of people caught with fentanyl during border crossings According to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) data, between 2019 and 2024 there were actually US citizens, not migrants.

Ramos sees Aguero’s beliefs as the result of internalized racism. As Ramos puts it, “Generations of Latinos were told to assimilate, put your head down, learn English and conform to those structures.” A desire to assimilate and belong, especially in proximity to whiteness, is a major reason why some Latinos are drawn to Trumpism.

Traditionalism: religion and colonial legacies

Traditionalism – rooted in colonialism and religion – has been an important driver of far-right affiliation among Latinos. Evangelicalism has grown among the Latinsand Trumpism has benefited from this religious shift.

In Ramos’ book, we are introduced to Pastor Luis Cabrera, who opens on stage with: “We’re taking some radical Christians to every state capital. It’s about God and he wants his country back!” Cabrera is also credited with coining the slogan “Make America Godly Again.” The Nicaragua-born pastor also turned his small evangelical church into the 2022 campaign headquarters for Mayra Flores, a MAGA Republican congressional candidate.

A brief look back at the history of religion in Latin America confirms an important factor that Ramos points out: “As Latinos, we have normalized submission to indoctrination,” because it is ingrained in Latin American culture and subtly can seep into our psyche. What makes Christian nationalism one of today’s greatest dangers, as Ramos writes, is the ideology based on the myth that the United States was founded as an explicitly Christian nation. What makes Latinos vulnerable to this type of recruitment? As Ramos writes: “Latinos are the fastest growing group of American evangelicals in the country“, at 15 percent today, not to mention that Catholicism was “institutionalized by Europeans throughout Latin America for 500 years,” as Ramos writes. These are generations of religious indoctrination that have been drawn to the appeal of law and order, especially in evangelical communities.

Trauma: Political History and Strongman Politics

Cubans from Florida have long been associated with far-right, conservative politics and the Republican Party, with some believing the Democratic Party is directly associated with communism. But to truly understand the motivations of immigrant voters, Ramos sat down with medical anthropologist and family physician Dr. Jessica Cerdena to talk about how emotional wounds like trauma are showing up in American politics.

Trauma is defined as “an emotional response to a terrible event,” especially political trauma. Dr. Cerdena said that “more than 75% of migrants from Latin America to the US report a history of traumathat can be passed on from generation to generation.”

It can manifest itself in the form of hypervigilance, intrusive memories and nightmares, as it is a form of PTSD. In most cases, says Dr. Cerdemna, the most important strategy is to avoid anything that reminds you of the trauma. Ramos argues that “countless American administrations have harnessed that pain, exacerbated it, and carefully weaponized it to their advantage,” listing the book’s list of characters who, because of the damaging way they expressed their politics, made Ramos realize it was a reflected the unresolved trauma they carry.

Ramos titled her book “Defectors” to capture the emotional journey of Latinos distancing themselves from their own community and identity. This defection, she argues, is caused by insidious forces such as internalized racism, political trauma, and colonialism, weaponized by far-right movements to influence Latin American voters. It’s about more than just politics: It’s about reclaiming a sense of self within a racial hierarchy that equates success with proximity to whiteness.

That’s why we defectors can look just like an Afro-Cuban from Miami And former leader of the Proud Boys, from a Mexican-American Border Patrol agent from Texas to an Afro-Dominican woman from the Bronx who identifies only as Hispanic.

To fully appreciate the characters Ramos interviews, you must approach this book with curiosity, compassion, and an awareness of your own racial baggage, prejudices, and traumas. Without that awareness, the themes can seem far-fetched. But ultimately, the book is a reminder of how deep trauma runs through our communities.

What is at stake if this growing sector of the Latin far right is ignored? This shift is about more than voting patterns: it is a reflection of deeper cultural shifts within the Latin American community that have the potential to reshape American politics.

As Ramos says, “If Latinos are to be at the core of the future of America’s majority minority, and some find comfort in whiteness and traditional values, this could have enormous implications for what 2045 looks like.”

Cindy Y. Rodriguez has spent more than seventeen years creating powerful stories. One of her proudest achievements is hosting and producing the Webby-honored and Emmy-nominated five-part docuseries “Hay Dinero,” which offers practical financial planning tips for the Latinx community and highlights the deep connection between culture and generational trauma. Cindy’s dedication to creating diverse and impactful content shines through in her work, especially when it comes to topics of identity, culture, and race. Her work includes co-launching Vivala and HuffPost’s Latino Voices, and co-founding the award-winning feminist podcast “Morado Lens,” featuring conversations about sex, culture and spirituality.