Elections on Tuesday in California, New Jersey and other states are unfolding as the Trump administration’s immigration raids have spread fear in Latino communities across the country — fear that has become an X factor today.
The Justice Department announced recently it would monitor elections in six counties with large Latino populations in California and New Jersey, at the request of Republican Party officials in those states.
Democratic officials and Latino voting-rights activists worry that the immigration crackdown will dampen Latino turnout and that the presence of Justice Department election monitors at polling sites will intimidate voters. Voter data of the turnout so far in California, New Jersey and Virginia shows that Latino participation is roughly on pace with past elections.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said in a statement that the agency was not planning immigration enforcement actions targeting polling locations and that its operations are “intelligence-driven.” The statement said, however, that “if a dangerous criminal alien is near a polling location, they may be arrested as a result of that targeted enforcement action.”
For some Latino voters, the Trump administration’s escalation of force appears to be not a deterrent to casting a ballot but a motivation.
In New Jersey, the mayor of the city of Passaic, Hector Lora, said he doubted that the Trump administration’s decision to dispatch federal election monitors to Passaic County would scare off Latino voters. The county is considered crucial in the neck-and-neck governor’s race between Jack Ciattarelli, a Republican, and Mikie Sherrill, a Democratic member of Congress.
Mayor André Sayegh of Paterson said he saw no fear or reluctance to vote among residents in his city, Passaic County’s biggest, which is more than 60 percent Latino. If anything, he said, he saw determination.
“I feel like this is the way that people feel about their ballot — like they could fight back,’” Mr. Sayegh said.
Latino voters have become pivotal in this century in American elections. They are among the fastest-growing demographics in the United States, disproportionately young and less entrenched with political parties.
In 2024, Latino swing voters moved by economic dissatisfaction were instrumental in President Trump’s return to office. That support has been tested as the president has sought to arrest and deport unauthorized immigrants on a large scale, separating mixed-status families and sweeping up Latinos who are U.S. citizens in some cases.
Throughout his first term and his re-election campaigns, the president has asserted falsely that large numbers of undocumented immigrants were illegally casting ballots.
Shawn Hubler is The Times’s Los Angeles bureau chief, reporting on the news, trends and personalities of Southern California.
Jazmine Ulloa is a national reporter covering immigration for The Times.
Nick Corasaniti is a Times reporter covering national politics, with a focus on voting and elections.
Tracey Tully is a reporter for The Times who covers New Jersey, where she has lived for more than 20 years.
Jesus Jiménez is a Times reporter covering Southern California.
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