After Trump’s 100 days, Latinos gather in NC to talk fears — and what they can do
April 29 marked the first 100 days of President Donald Trump’s second term, and many Latinos in the Triangle are bracing for impact as his administration considers slashing funding for programs many rely on to survive.
On Wednesday, advocates gathered to discuss the potential fallout from the president’s proposed $4.9 trillion tax plan, which includes sweeping cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, Social Security and higher education. The roundtable was hosted by El Centro Hispano, a Triangle-based community organization, and UnidosUS, a national Latino civil rights group, at Durham’s Washington Duke Inn.
Medicaid alone could face an $880 billion reduction, a move that would affect over 20 million Latinos nationwide who depend on the program for health care, according to UnidosUS. About 3 million people in North Carolina are on Medicaid, a majority of them low-income families, children and seniors, according to the state.
The speakers on Wednesday also raised concerns about rising living costs, housing insecurity, and what might happen if Latinos lose coverage for health care, benefits to buy food, or if Latino college students have to drop out of school due to cuts to the Department of Education.
“The stakes couldn’t be higher,” said Susie Feliz, the senior adviser of legislative affairs at UnidosUS. “What we’re seeing in Congress with potential cuts to health insurance through Medicaid, cuts to nutrition, money to pay for groceries through SNAP cuts and education programs would undermine the financial stability of Latino families all across America.”
Feliz and others said the concerns about providing for their families are coupled with many Latinos’ fear about Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and deportations.
“We see our community really struggle every single day when they come to our office, looking for jobs, looking for fair treatment in the workplace, for housing, food,” said Pilar Rocha-Goldberg, the president of El Centro. “There are mixed-status families that are struggling, because right now, even if you are a citizen of this country, it’s difficult because we all look alike.”
Rocha-Goldberg has been in the United States for 20 years, yet said she carries her passport and ID around with her and tells her children and others to do the same.
Immigration concerns
Wednesday’s roundtable was part of a tour launched by UnidosUS, which is traveling around the country to inform Latino communities how to protect themselves under Trump’s executive orders and manage if programs are cut and other agencies lose funding.
Rocha-Goldberg said El Centro’s budget was cut by 20% recently. The group is the largest Latino-led organization in the Triangle helping people obtain legal status, health care, translated documents, and help with basic needs like housing, food and employment.
“One question (is) how we are going to pay our staff to do this work if we don’t have this cash flow,” she said. “We can’t do everything and we don’t do it alone.”
Rocha-Goldberg added that since Trump took office, there more people have come to El Centro with difficulty getting public assistance due to language and information barriers. The group has also held several “Know Your Rights” events to help immigrants if they are stopped or detained by ICE.
“It’s difficult to get some of the services because the systems are not ready to serve our community, to understand our culture, to understand how we are here and why we came here to give to this country,” she said.
In Durham County, 19% of residents rely on Medicaid. About 41% of children in the county are recipients. The federal spending package proposes a $290 billion cut to SNAP, which makes up about 25% of food assistance in the country. Almost 1.4 million residents in the state receive SNAP benefits, including over 39,000 people in Durham County.
“These aren’t just budget choices,” Feliz said. “The budget should reflect our values, and these programs really are the lifeline of many in our community. They’re moral choices.”
Feliz said there is still time for Congress to change course on voting for the spending package.
In a video played at the event, U.S. Rep. Valerie Foushee, who represents Durham, called the budget cuts “extreme” and said they will hurt the local economy, as SNAP and other similar programs support grocers, farmers, and small businesses.
“These critical programs are not handouts,” Foushee said. “They are direct investments in the well-being of our communities, and these proposed and aggressive cuts will put already vulnerable individuals at risk, who will only further exacerbate the existing disparities within our country.”
A need for community engagement
El Centro and UnidosUS said there needed to be more collaboration between local organizations and residents.
Anabel Rosa, an attorney for El Centro who helps families find legal support, said there services need to be streamlined, so if there are drastic cuts, people will still be able to get help. She suggested health care clinics and local businesses owners and leaders organizing with residents about their needs and how they can help each other.
“This is a challenge, things are difficult,” Rosa said. “Where there’s less money, there’s more pressure.”
Durham County Sheriff Clarence Birkhead said in an interview after the event that his office wants people to be aware of but try to verify rumors of ICE raids before spreading more fear.
“The difficulty is ICE doesn’t communicate with us at the local level,” he said. “We will have to be creative in figuring out exactly what is going on.”
Birkhead said he collaborates with Durham Public Schools to address fears Latino families have sending their children to school.
“There’s just a lot of uncertainty around immigration issues as a whole,” Birkhead said. “We’re trying to be a good partner with all of our immigrant community but certainly our Hispanic community under this administration.
Still, Latinos want answers and the certainty that they can provide for their families instead of fearing the unknown, Feliz said. The fear of getting “snatched off the street for no reason” has become one that reaches even the most privileged Latino residents.
“I’m concerned for my own safety,” she said. “If you’re concerned about getting snatched off the street and going to a country you’ve never been to, it’s going to be hard for you to focus on your own economic and upward mobility when you’re focused on survival.”
This story was originally published May 15, 2025 at 7:30 AM.