Latino men showed out in huge numbers for President-elect Donald Trump
MINNEAPOLIS — Among the groups that helped win Donald Trump the presidency are Latino men, despite Trump's harsh language about immigration.
Throughout his campaign Donald Trump said, "I will launch the biggest deportation in American history."
But despite rhetoric like that, a CBS exit poll shows Trump won the male Latino vote by 10 points.
Immigration attorney Esteban Rivera says inflation was a factor.
"People were not able to pay for rent, they were not able to pay for groceries and they were worried," said Rivera. "They thought that Trump will make the economy better."
Rivera says Latinos who are here legally but are not citizens have inundated his office with concerns since the Trump victory. He said among the concerns are questions about detainment and delays in naturalization processes.
Emilia Gonzalez Avalos told WCCO before the election that she worries her citizenship application will now take longer and she fears Trump will make good on his pledge to end birthright citizenship.
"I am concerned about birthright citizenship for some of our children," said Avalos.
Rivera says birthright citizenship can't be taken away as it's protected by the Constitution, but all immigration matters could take a lot longer.
"Things that used to take six months prior to the Trump administration then took 12 months or 18 months," said Rivera.
State officials estimate about 90,000 undocumented immigrants live in Minnesota. There are at least 350,000 residents with Latino heritage.