Growing disillusionment with Donald Trump is spreading among Hispanic voters following an aggressive immigration policy that has sown fear across communities, leaving local businesses short-staffed and classrooms half-empty.

This shift serves as a warning sign for Republicans seeking to maintain control of Congress in the November midterm elections.

Nearly half of this demographic voted for Trump in the 2024 presidential election. Now, 66% disapprove of his administration's performance, according to a poll by The New York Times and Siena College.

María Fernanda Pérez, owner of an arepa shop in Doral—a city with a large Venezuelan-American population—regrets her vote for Trump.

Three of her employees stopped showing up to work out of fear of immigration raids, and sales have dropped 40% as residents avoid going out into the streets.

“My logic was that the economy would improve,” the 32-year-old businesswoman told AFP inside her store. “I feel sad and disappointed (...), my entire family and all my friends are in a migration process where they are stopping work and putting their lives on hold.”

Looking ahead to the upcoming elections, Pérez declines to comment on her specific vote, but states emphatically: “Anything but Trump.”

According to The New York Times poll, conducted in mid-September, 78% of Hispanic voters prefer to see the Democratic Party in control of Congress over the Republican Party.

Psychological Pressure

In “Doralzuela,” as some call Doral, few people speak openly on the street about immigration raids or their vote in the upcoming elections.

Starting in the early morning hours, activists and community members communicate through group chats to alert one another about the presence of immigration officers or recent detentions.

“Many workers have left out of fear,” said the manager of another restaurant in Doral.

Attorney Carlos Bermúdez, who is also of Venezuelan origin, receives constant calls from desperate individuals navigating immigration proceedings.

“They don't go out to the street; they can't go to work (...). It's a constant psychological pressure, and it impacts the entire community,” said Bermúdez, 47.

The attorney identifies as a Republican, though he expresses concern over the extremes his party is embracing.

“I am a Republican because I come from a country where communism and socialism took hold, and I don't want to support that ideology, but I do not agree with what the extreme wing of the party is doing now,” he said.

A Lost Opportunity

Doral Councilman Rafael Pineyro sees the impact of Washington's policies not only in the city, but across major Hispanic communities throughout South Florida.

“There is uncertainty, there is fear (...) It's not just Doral; it's the entire Latino community in South Florida that is being affected,” he stated from his office at City Hall.

Also of Venezuelan origin and a Republican, Pineyro questions the Trump administration's immigration strategy. “This isn't right, because this isn't what was promised in 2024 when we talked about deporting criminals,” he said.

In a region where Republicans made significant gains among voters of Cuban, Venezuelan, and other Hispanic backgrounds in recent years, Pineyro believes the fear generated by raids and economic frustration could cost the ruling party at the ballot box in November.

“That opportunity was increasingly lost over recent months due to poor decisions, from my perspective, specifically regarding the economy and immigration,” Pineyro said.