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Know This Now, October 1, 2026: THE TIME IS NOW: As Midterms Near, 250+ Hispanic Leaders Across Political Spectrum Call For Work Permits And Legal Protections For Long-Term Immigrants 

By October 1, 2026October 14th, 2026No Comments

Amid growing backlash to aggressive immigration enforcement and mass deportations, some of the country’s most important Hispanic leaders across the political spectrum, from MAGA-aligned conservatives and evangelical leaders to progressive civil rights advocates and Democratic members of Congress, joined with Comité de 100 on Tuesday. This powerful coalition called on President and congressional leaders to provide work permits and legal protections for long-term law abiding undocumented immigrants.

Watch the full press conference or watch video highlights on ABIC Action Facebook, Instagram or TikTok.

The campaign centers on a new letter signed by more than 250 Hispanic leaders, and many appeared at the press conference, including Representatives Veronica Escobar (D-TX-16) and Sylvia Garcia (D-TX-29) and leaders from Comité de 100, ABIC Action, LULAC, the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Natl. Assoc. of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), UnidosUS, the Natl. Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference and America’s Voice, among others.

“People who have spent years working, paying taxes, raising families and contributing to this country deserve stability, dignity and a fair chance to move forward,” U.S. Representative Sylvia Garcia (TX-29) said at the press conference, advocating for the American Dream and Promise Act to provide a pathway to citizenship for eligible Dreamers and permanent protections for eligible TPS holders. Watch highlights of Rep. Garcia’s remarks.

Many of the speakers emphasized that MOST American voters agree with a balanced approach that provides protections for long-term immigrants:

That sentiment is backed up by new bipartisan polling showing strong support for work permits among critical swing Latino voters in battleground states.

The polling, conducted by BSP Research and Shaw & Co. for ABIC Action and American Families United, found that 75% of Latino voters surveyed said they would be more likely to support a candidate who backs work permits for long-term undocumented immigrants who have been working and paying taxes in the United States. Sixty-three percent called the treatment of immigrants “one of my top issues.”

“Across every state and virtually every demographic group we surveyed, Latino voters are telling elected officials the same thing: they want action on immigration,”  said Matt Barreto, founder of BSP Research and professor at UCLA.


“Hispanic voters are fed up,” said Massey Villarreal, CEO of Precision Task Group and co-chair of the Committee of 100. “We are losing our workforce because of these deportations. Since January, we have lost 200,000 immigrant workers each month. Simply put, there is no way to sustain our economy without the long-standing immigrants who made our prosperity possible.”

The loss of those workers is already hitting businesses hard, reports El Pais:  Trump’s immigration policy is choking business: ‘There’s nobody to work’


It is possible to prioritize both security and immigrant communities, said Roman Palomares, president of LULAC. “We can protect our borders and enforce our laws while also recognizing the contributions of people who have built their lives in America. The American people deserve more than temporary fixes and political arguments, they deserve action.”


In addition to the risk of alienating voters, Ramiro Cavazos, president and CEO of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and co-chair, Comité de 100 emphasized the economic costs of the current policies:

Faith and advocacy leaders highlighted the impact that continued uncertainty has on families and communities and called for policies that allow long-term immigrants to live and work legally without fear.


U.S. Representative Veronica Escobar (D-TX) advocated for the Dignity Act as a solution that reflects the priorities coming from the community. “We still have an opportunity to get this done in the lame duck period, and I would implore my colleagues to seize this moment and make real progress,” she said.

Vanessa Cárdenas, executive director of America’s Voice echoed that there are existing solutions already on the table: “The challenge is not a lack of policy solutions, it is a lack of political will, and Congress must act.” While Erica Bernal-Martinez, CEO of NALEO, emphasized that the clock is ticking and voters are paying attention: “[T]his is not a fringe issue, it is a defining one. Latino voters are watching, and they expect this administration and Congress to act now.”

“The Hispanic vote is won with respect,” the signatories conclude in the letter. “Respect for our community means fighting for and delivering these long-overdue protections for long-term immigrants. We need action now, from this administration and from leaders in Congress.”

Read the full letter and add your signature here.
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More Midterm Watch from Comite de 100

Extending Salvadoran TPS is Politically Smart and Necessary, Say Business Leaders and Political Experts

Politico recently reported on the political risks surrounding the administration considering ending TPS for Salvadorans in the article ‘White House pumped brakes on TPS termination for 200,000 Salvadorans.”

The decision caught some at DHS by surprise, but reflects tensions in the party around the political costs, including concerns among some Republicans that the rollback of temporary legal pathways for long-term immigrants could contribute to negative sentiment among Latino voters.

The article cited ABIC’s recent bipartisan polling:

The issue is particularly relevant in states with significant Salvadoran populations, including Texas, where businesses and communities would feel the consequences of a large-scale workforce disruption.

More than 70 business owners, CEOs, industry leaders, and community leaders signed an ABIC Action letter earlier this year urging the administration to extend work permits for Salvadoran TPS holders. 

The signatories represent businesses and organizations across banking, construction, agriculture, restaurants and hospitality, manufacturing, health care, retail, professional services, and chambers of commerce. 

“A sudden end to their work authorization would cause severe economic disruption, triggering workforce shortages across critical industries, spiking turnover costs, and threatening local communities,” says the letter, signed by groups like the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association, Kansas Livestock Association and the Texas Restaurant Association. Some employers are already seeing the cost of losing experienced immigrant workers.

Carlos Raba, chef and owner of Clavel in Baltimore, spoke at a recent ABIC Action and Seat the Table’s press conference on immigration solutions and has struggled to fill positions as immigration enforcement has intensified.

“I’ve already lost several employees. There’s nobody to work,” Raba said.


GOP’s Bet on Texas Latino Voters Could Backfire

Multiple outlets covered the critical Latino swing voters in South Texas, with a recent Cook Political Report/TelevisaUnivision poll finding only about one-third of Texas Hispanic voters approve of Trump’s job performance, while nearly two-thirds say they are less likely to support candidates who back his deportation policies, according to PBS News.

“If you’re a Republican candidate, at least in South Texas, a lot of the people that I speak to, which are business owners, if you have the stamp of a Republican on you, it doesn’t look very good,” Mario Guerrero, an ABIC member and head of South Texas Buildings Association, told PBS. The ICE raids have “terrorized” the construction industry in the region, he added. 

Conservative Latino advocate Daniel Garza warned that even modest shifts or lower turnout among Hispanic voters could matter in closely contested races.

The New York Times piece ‘Hispanic Voters on the Texas Border Have Soured on Trump’ highlighted that though these Latino voters were an essential part of the winning Republican coalition in 2024, many now feel abandoned and furious.

Builders throughout the valley report severe labor shortages, longer project timelines and higher costs as workers avoid job sites out of fear of ICE. 

Texas Republicans redrew congressional districts expecting the 2024 shift among Hispanic voters to be durable, but many voters who backed Trump in 2024 are now considering Democrats or staying home instead.

Some Republicans From Deep-Red Areas Distancing Themselves From Trump On Aggressive ICE Enforcement

Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas, issued a statement last week saying, “When ICE operates in Kansas, it needs to coordinate with our local law enforcement.” This came after nine Republican state lawmakers wrote a letter on Sept. 24 to President Donald Trump, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, Marshall, Moran and U.S. Rep. Tracey Mann, R-Kansas saying recent ICE activity happened without informing local officials or providing clear information on scope and duration.

The letter included several requests, including that enforcement activities prioritize violent offenders, traffickers, gang members, repeat offenders and those with final removal orders.

Sen. Jim Justice, a West Virginia Republican, suggested in an interview with Politico on Tuesday that he was not in full lock-step with the ICE enforcement approach.

“To get better, the first thing you got to do is admit you’re doing something wrong,” Justice said, noting that “you’re dragging people away that have lived on your street corner for 15 years, and I don’t know that we need to be doing that.”

Perspectives:

Washington Post Letter to the Editor: We’re a Republican and a Democrat. Texas is right to stand by ‘dreamers.’

This letter has two authors: a Democrat and a Republican. Both former long-time Texas House representatives, Richard Noriega is a Democrat and Byron Cook is a Republican. One of the authors wrote the Texas Dream Act; the other spent years defending it.

“It was never just about immigration policy. It was an investment in the Lone Star State,” they wrote in the Post.

The policy helps Texas recoup its investment in educating these students, noting that undocumented students paid more than $81 million annually in tuition and fees by 2021.They argue that students educated in Texas schools should not bear the consequences of broader immigration policy debates, plus Repealing the law could reduce economic activity, with more than $461 million in annual lost wages and spending power. 


U.S. Rep. Don Bacon (R-NB): I’m a Republican. This woman tried to do everything right — and was deported.

“Can America still differentiate between those who endanger and those who strengthen it?”

U.S. Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska recounts the case of Mariana, a Mexican migrant who lived in the U.S. for eight years but ultimately self-deported on Sept. 1 after receiving a final removal order. The government gave her no fair way to fix what happened when she was a child, he wrote.

“There are practical fixes right in front of Congress. I have worked closely with nearly 40 of my colleagues on the bipartisan Dignity Act…Most Americans are caught between two extremes — open borders or mass deportation — when what they want is a system smarter than either.”

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