During the 2024 presidential campaign, chef Roberto Mendoza supported the Republican candidate, Donald Trump, for president. Today, he says he rejects the way the administration treats immigrants and, in fact, has carried out several initiatives to help families affected by the immigration operation conducted by the Border Patrol in the city of Charlotte in November 2025.
Two years ago, Donald Trump significantly improved his performance among several voter groups, particularly highlighting a gain of more than 10 points among Latino voters compared to 2020, especially Latino men under 40.
However, after one year in the White House, many Latino voters who supported the current president say they regret it. This shift coincides with growing dissatisfaction on two fronts: economic performance and harsh immigration policies.
Disappointment among Latino voters who supported Trump
Nearly 7 out of 10 Latinos believe their financial situation has worsened since Trump returned to power and think it could continue to deteriorate, according to a Pew survey. Various polls show low approval ratings and a perception that economic policies are not benefiting their community.
In addition, issues such as mass deportations and the use of federal agents in cities have raised concern among Latino voters, especially due to the impact on people without criminal records and the risk to legal residents.
“The immigration processes we are experiencing are inhumane—that’s how I can describe them. They are terrible. We have seen deaths of people, not only in the Latino community, but also in the white community,” says Roberto Mendoza.
Chef Mendoza is a recognized culinary innovator, educator, and activist who, through his organization Chef Heaven’s Kitchen, works to fight hunger in vulnerable communities.
“I’ve lived in this great nation for 35 years, but we had never seen anything like this. Yes, there have been things against immigrants before, but not this kind of activity,” he added.
For the chef, the immigration issue is closely tied to the country’s economic growth. “They say, ‘We’re going to deport three million,’ but those three million people shop at supermarkets, go to clothing stores, to the movies, to restaurants, and all of that. So if we deport all these people, the economy is affected—and in fact, we are already seeing it,” he says.
Helping hundreds of families who could not leave their homes
On the morning of Saturday, November 15, heavily armed Border Patrol (CBP) agents with their faces covered began patrolling the streets of Charlotte. They claimed they were going after dangerous criminals, but reality showed a different picture.
At the end of February, a class-action lawsuit was filed against the federal government to halt what are considered a series of immigration arrests without warrants, without probable cause, and involving systematic racial profiling against the Latino community in North Carolina.
“The feeling among these families is fear—it’s terror, not being able to go out even to buy groceries. Not being able to go out to work,” recalls Chef Mendoza, referring to the week of CBP operations locally.
“During that period, we brought food to people who couldn’t leave their homes. Then, during those same days, Thanksgiving took place. We gave food to more than 500 families and, together with Race You Up, with whom we’ve worked for a long time, we have also been able to help families with clothing, shoes, and food,” he adds.
“Every storm passes, and after the storm comes calm… We have to come together in order to work; we have to help one another,” he concludes.
Find this article in Spanish here.
This video was produced thanks to the support of the Charlotte Journalism Collaborative (CJC)
