According to the US government Census, approximately 19% of the US population was Hispanic in 2023, which is equivalent to almost 65 million people. In a country of continental proportions, this statistic shows a significant number of Latinos residing in the country, with this group being a fundamental part of the US economy and politics. However, the recent anti-immigration and nationalist wave is promising to cause setbacks for the population, aimed at the Latino population. Donald Trump and part of the Republican Party have been increasingly vocal against the presence of “illegal” individuals in the country, with the candidate and former president showing himself to be in favor of carrying out mass deportations if he returns to the White House.

In this context, the radical “Project 2025” emerges, a document prepared by conservative leaders and institutions that aims to guide actions for the next Republican administration, a context that could affect Latinos. So, what would this project be and what would its impact be on Latinos living in the United States? According to “The Latin Times”, Project 2025 has been defined as a presidential transition project by its own website. It establishes four main political goals: “restoring the family as the centerpiece of American life, dismantling the administrative state, defending the nation’s sovereignty and borders, and guaranteeing individuals’ God-given rights to live freely.” This project is supported by more than 100 conservative organizations with the goal, they say, of overthrowing the deep state and returning government to the people.

But what does this have to do with Latinos?

It is being organized by The Heritage Foundation and is based on the “Mandate of Leadership,” according to its own website. The goal is a book with a “menu” of policy suggestions, such as defending the border, deporting illegal aliens, finishing the wall, and many other issues. According to the project’s website, the Trump administration “has relied heavily on Heritage’s ‘mandate’ for policy guidance, adopting nearly two-thirds of Heritage’s proposals in just one year in office.” Paul Dans, former chief of staff at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) during the Trump administration, serves as director of the 2025 Presidential Transition Project. Spencer Chretien, former special assistant to the president and associate director of Presidential Personnel, serves as associate director of the project.

Despite this, Trump has attempted to oppose Project 2025, and in a Truth Social post he stated: “I know nothing about Project 2025. I have no idea who is behind it. I disagree with some of the things they are saying, and some of the things they are saying are absolutely ridiculous and abysmal. I wish them luck in whatever they do, but I have nothing to do with them.” But as previously stated, many of his top allies were involved in producing the project. Many of the conservative organizations are led by close Trump allies, according to NBC News, including: Turning Point USA, Center for Renewing America, Claremont Institute, Family Policy Alliance, Family Research Council, Moms for Liberty and America First Legal — the latter is led by Stephen Miller, a top former Trump adviser. Additionally, former Trump administration officials have been directly affiliated with Project 2025, including former Director of the Office of Management and Budget and current Director of Policy for the Republican National Committee Platform Russ Vought, former Acting Secretary of Defense Christopher Miller, former Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson, former Deputy Chief of Staff Rick Dearborn, and former Justice Department Senior Advisor Gene Hamilton.

The RNC this month adopted its official policy platform for the 2024 election cycle, a document that is less conservative than the 2025 Project handbook — including on key issues like abortion, and that has broken ranks on trade and entitlements. According to the BBC, Paul Dans has resigned from the Heritage Foundation and, in a statement, said he would step down as head of the 2025 Presidential Transition Project in August. He said he will focus on getting Donald Trump back to the White House and “direct all my efforts to winning, big time!” But that doesn’t make things any easier for Trump, since according to NBC News, Dans and members of his team have always been close to the Republican primary campaigns and, after the party’s primaries were won, the contract continued. Groves, who helped build the political framework for Project 2025, said: “I understand politics. I understand campaign politics. The president has only said what is true. It’s not his project. And it’s not.” He, who was also part of Trump’s 2016 transition, continued: “The Trump campaign is focused on what needs to be focused on, which is winning the race. And the project will continue.”

Groves urged critics to take a step back, even as he acknowledged that limit. “The project is not a decision-maker,” he said. "We are in the middle of a volatile election cycle. We are all on the same team and we must not lose sight of that. We, as conservatives, must unite around the same agenda."

Most Latino voters do not understand the scope of this project and how it could affect them, according to NBC News. However, some groups - mostly left-wing or progressive - are coming together to launch a bilingual campaign condemning Project 2025 and its issues such as education, access to health care, reproductive rights, climate change and immigration, as well as jobs and labor rights. The campaign will be called “Defendiendo Nuestro Futuro, Latinos Against Project 2025.” Yadira Sánchez, executive director of the Latino civic engagement organization Poder Latinx, said her organization speaks to about 200 people weekly to engage Latino voters in 6 states and estimated that less than 20% know what Project 2025 is, partly because there is little information about the project in Spanish.

It is important to highlight some proposals such as the elimination of the US Department of Education, which would greatly influence the Latino community, since education helps break the cycle of poverty. Another characteristic is the mass deportation of undocumented immigrants, a frequent promise of Trump's campaign and which could affect an estimated group of eleven million people, of which four million undocumented immigrants are of Mexican origin.

But what is immigration policy like today? According to the American Immigration Council: “U.S. immigration law is based on the following principles: family reunification, admission of immigrants with skills valuable to the U.S. economy, humanitarian protections, and promotion of diversity.” The law that governs immigration policy is the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA). There are several conditions for an immigrant to obtain citizenship. Refugees, for example, are admitted based on their inability to return to their country of origin because of a “well-founded fear of persecution” due to their race, membership in a particular social group, political opinion, religion, or national origin. Each year, the president, in consultation with Congress, sets the ceiling for the admission of these refugees, with the 2024 ceiling being 125,000 admissions divided by region. Their admission also depends on several factors, such as the degree of risk they face, their membership in a group that is of special interest to the United States (determined by the president and Congress), and whether or not they have family members in the country. Therefore, there are several categories and bureaucracies to determine whether or not a person can migrate to the United States, making their access difficult. With the possible new policies of Project 2025, admissions will become much more restricted, since the admissions ceiling will be lower.

In this way, it is possible to denote the orientation of profound impacts of Project 2025 in relation to the Latino population, if it is implemented by the next Republican Party administration. Between adopting Trumpist measures and exacerbating conservatism in the country, it is clear how several groups will be affected, especially Latinos.