ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) – Hispanic voters in Florida, New Mexico and California have waved Mexican flags and bashed Donald Trump piñatas – clashing with police, at times – to protest the Republican presidential contender’s hard line approach to immigration.
Yet far from the protests, an increasingly vocal Hispanic minority is speaking out in favor of the brash billionaire. They are backing Trump even in the face of resentment and suspicion from friends and family, who are among the overwhelming majority of non-white voters opposed to the New York businessman’s candidacy.
“I’m not ashamed to vote for Trump. I’d just rather not have the conversation with my family,” said Natalie Lally, a 22-year-old college student from New York City whose large extended family has Colombian roots.
She says silence fell over her grandmother’s living room when she admitted her support for Trump during a recent family gathering that included more than 30 relatives.
“They just kind of seemed uneasy,” she recalled. “And my uncle just said, ‘Why?’ “