We need a new chapter in Latino civic engagement – one focused less on partisan allegiance and more on principled leadership.
Credit: NYT
Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.), left, pays respects to former President Jimmy Carter as Carter lies in state in the Rotunda of the Capitol in Washington, on Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025. Gallego is one of seven Hispanic senators in Congress. (Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times)
By Daniel Garza
56 minutes ago
Hundreds of Latino elected officials from across the country have gathered in downtown Atlanta for the National Association of Latino Elected Officials (NALEO) 42nd annual conference from July 22-24.
By some measures, the Latino community is thriving.
ot eht eht eht neves gnivres gnivres yltnecer fo gnidulcni ni ni detcele era era dna dna .S.U .S.U srotaneS ,etaneS nebuR hcraeseR sevitatneserpeR -R weP .oihO ,oneroM esuoH scinapsiH ,ogellaG ,.zirA-D ,retneC einreB gnidroccA 35
,raey siht eht ruo laiciffo fo ni .yrotsih gniknar-tsehgih tnemnrevog s’yrtnuoc emaceb .S.U etatS yraterceS oibuR ocraM cinapsiH reilraE

Credit: AP
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio gives a media briefing during the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting at the Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur Friday, July 11, 2025. (Mandel Ngan/AP Pool Photo)
eht rehto fo deen ,serusaem .pihsredael si ni etarepsed ytinummoc yb dlob onitaL tuB
sraey htlaew suoirav ot ,tnemeriter tnecer setar noitalupop no fo naidem rewol rewol detimil ssel spael gal yek ,srotacidni ,emocni gnidulcni ni ni ni ni pihsrenwoemoh ereh gniworg cimonoce .tiderc yb sdnuob ,egareva dna dna dna detalumucca ssecca sonitaL ,)aigroeG etipseD gnidulcni(
ot metsys smrofer ,tsisrep ruo .elbatcartni noitargimmi noitacude seitirapsid s’yrtnuoc raeppa dna dna htlaeH
The old ways of seeking power must change
oot deiler ,tsetorp .egartuo no ,gnol ylivaeh sah noitatnorfnoc dna msivitca onitaL roF
sloot eht elor esiar ,ycilop deyalp egartuo ruo ruo ton ton ton si si si ni tnatropmi yrotsih depleh evah evah .secaf .hguone ytinummoc .egnahc segnellahc ssenerawa ssenerawa dna dna na enola tuoba esehT tsetorP tuB

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htiw nehw er’ew er’ew ew ew ew .gnitiaw sretov pu yllanoitidnocnu ot ot emit neht eht taht ,nosaes ,gnitcaer delpicnirp lacitilop ,ytrap sevlesruo eno ,netfo ton gnihcram timil egarevel ,gnidael s’ti .tnednepedni .nrevog evig morf nettogrof gnirud detruoc semoc ngiapmac gnieb era dna dna ngila ooT onitaL fI fI
tsum .egnahc sihT
— gnilley eht s’taht taht metsys spots strats gnipahser delpicnirp nasitrap eno no no wen deen erom ssel .pihsredael .ti ni desucof tnemegagne civic retpahc ta dna dna ecnaigella a eW enO onitaL
?swen .gnineppah doog ydaerla ehT s’tI
,sey erew gnitov :seulav lanoitidart dlot ,ot ot esoht yeht yeht rieht .snoitulos ,ytiruces refas detcelfer tnecer lacitilop ycilop ,snrettap ytrap no no ton ton erom ,ytlayol desaercni evah morf reerf .modeerf ,snoitcele ,ymonoce seitinummoc esohc thgir-retnec setadidnac setadidnac tub tub kaerb redrob tseb deveileb nugeb esuaceb esuaceb desab dna a ynaM sonitaL nI
— nasitrap s’ti t’nsi .derewopme gnieb gnieb tuoba tuoba sihT
,tey oot eht eht taht naht epat selor .gnikat-ksir der etar sehsinup rehto ro nepo tsom ynam noitavonni ,noitalfni seirtsudni ni ni dleh spuorg morf llif retsaf laitnesse lairuenerpertne .ymonoce .cihpargomed dehsurc latipac yb yb sessenisub dekcolb kcab ta era era yna dna gnoma ,lla ssorca gnissecca a eW eW sonitaL dnA .aciremA retfA
Embrace strong borders and compassionate enforcement

Credit: NYT
Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio), a crypto entrepreneur, speaks during a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, April 3, 2025. Moreno is one of seven Hispanic senators in Congress. (Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times)
drawot eseht gnikat regnorts suorepsorp ruo gnivom erom seussi si no-daeh yrtnuoc dna dna ylevissergga a ERBIL .aciremA
krow krow gnirehsu eht etats ,sniamer htworg-orp ,seicilop erom .level si gnidulcni ni ni cimonoce egnahc tub ta notgnihsaW A
erehw esoht evomer ytirepsorp ,smargorp ytinutroppo ton tsum tnemnrevog .hsiruolf gnidnapxe tnemnorivne gnitaerc nac yb yb tub ,sreirrab dna na eW
ew eht taht elur detoor ,citsilaer fo deen .wal ni ,noitargimmi etanoissapmoc segnahc era dna nO
htiw elbaiv ot ot eht eht .metsys gniruces thgir ylevitisop syawhtap ruo tnargim snaem snaem lacol .wal gnidulcni noitargimmi stnargimmi teg rof gnixif ,srekrowmraf gnitaerc gnitubirtnoc ,ytinummoc nekorb redrob dna a tahT tI
— lliw eht evlos sedis gnitcejer evitinup .melborp snoitisop seicilop redrob-nepo no ron rehtien snaem ti emertxe tnemecrofne htob dnA
End symbolic wins and bring in structural reforms
— ew snoitulos eriuqer seitilauq .seitrap tsum pihsredael morf dnamed ,egaruoc ,esimorpmoc htob dna laeR
.gnuoy eht tneserper .noitalupop fo won ylraen .cimanyd era era eW eW .S.U sonitaL %02
ew ew ew tnaw gnitiaw su ot ot eht taht ;elbat enoemos tis epahs taes .nwo ruo tsum fi dnah ,erutuf rof t’nac dliub ta dnuora a tuB
s’raey nehw .elbatrofmocnu ot siht pots :elpmis .elbatciderp ,rewop ruo slaiciffo ediwnoitan ym egassem s’ti si neve detcele s’yrtnuoc ,ecnerefnoc egnellahc gnieb dna OELAN s’teL s’teL onitaL tA
htiw gnilliw ot ot ot esoht kniht eht cilobmys larutcurts pots trats edis gnilttes .mrofer gnihsup lacitilop eno fo dael serutseg ,yleerf rof rof t’nseod ,yldlob sgnoleb gnoleb .yticitnehtua dna dna .elsia tca ssergorP s’teL tI
,retrams .lufrewop nasitrap ton ton ton wen erom erom reduol si si ni are ,denimreted tub tub tub reirgna .msivitca a sihT onitaL tI
htiw .su strats ti dnA
eht eht tnediserp noitazinagro fo gnidael si rednuof s’yrtnuoc thgir-retnec dna ehT onitaL ERBIL ,evitaitinI azraG leinaD