We Didn’t Lose Because of Deportations — We Did Because the GOP Ignored Us
The elections of earlier this month was was a yuge wake-up call — not just for the Republican Party, but for every so-called "strategist" who thought Hispanic voters were locked in.
The mainstream media — Politico.com, The Washington Post, and the rest of the left-wing echo chamber — are rushing to blame our losses on "mass deportations."
They're wrong. We didn't lose because President Trump enforced the law.
We lost because our own Party forgot who we are fighting for.
Let me be clear: the Republican Party did not lose because Hispanics turned their backs on Trump. We lost because the party turned its back on us.
For years, this writer has been warning GOP leadership — in Washington and across the states — that you cannot win Hispanic voters with empty slogans and last-minute pandering.
I’ve said it behind closed doors, at meetings, and from every this writer has been invited to stand on. Every time, I've been told, "We don't do identity politics."
Well . . . how did that work out for you?
This isn’t "identity politics."
This is about identity, period.
It's about who we are, what we believe, and whether the people asking for our votes actually understand our lives.
Hispanic conservatives aren't some special-interest box to check — we are the backbone of America's working class, the defenders of faith, family, and freedom.
Yet instead of elevating our voices, the GOP too often sidelines us or wheels us out for a campaign photo-op.
That's not representation — it's tokenism.
The truth is, our community loves America.
—We believe in law and order.
—We want secure borders.
—We know that chaos at the border hurts everyone — especially Hispanic families who came here legally, who work hard, and who don't want their neighborhoods overrun by crime or their schools overwhelmed.
The liberal media simply can't understand that, but Republican leadership should.
We didn't lose because Trump was too tough on immigration.
We lost because the Republican establishment was too weak on communication.
They failed to defend his record, failed to speak to our values, and failed to give Hispanic conservatives a voice at the table.
They ignored local pastors, small-business owners, mothers and fathers who are raising their kids with Christian values and old-school discipline.
These are natural conservatives — but they'll never hear that message if no one bothers to show up.
The left has been running the same playbook for decades — divide, distract, and destroy.
They hand out promises instead of opportunity and try to convince our people that government is their savior.
Meanwhile, Republicans talk about "economic freedom" in boardroom language that doesn't reach a single working-class voter.
You want to win Hispanics?
Speak our language — literally and figuratively.
Talk about the paycheck that's worth less because of Biden-era inflation.
Talk about the grocery bill that's doubled, the mortgage rates that make it impossible for our kids to buy homes, and the cultural insanity that's attacking our faith and our children.
Those are the issues that move us.
This election was a prelude — a warning shot.
If the GOP continues to treat Hispanic conservatives as an afterthought, we will lose 2026 and beyond.
But if we start empowering Hispanic leaders, investing in our communities, and putting authentic conservative Hispanics at the forefront of this movement, we can rebuild the multiracial, working-class coalition that first made the Trump revolution possible.
Hispanics aren’t leaving the Republican Party — the Republican Party is leaving us.
It's time to change that. The future of our movement depends on it.
Bianca Gracia is president of the Latinos for Trump/Latinos for America First Organization, Founder and Executive Director of Latinos for America First PAC. She has worked as the chief strategist at The America Project, Hispanic Engagement Director of the Republican Party of Texas, and the State Director of Faith and Freedom Coalition. She's the former President of Líderes de la Comunidad, Americanos Conservative United, director and adviser for Blexit Texas. Ms. Gracia has appeared on Fox, Steve Bannon's "War Room," Newsmax, OANN, and can be heard live Monday mornings at 8 a.m. on 1440 Keys AM in Corpus Christi, Texas. Read more of her reports — Here.