HOUSTON — The prominent Hispanic business community Bienvenido’s Empresarios came together Thursday morning to formally endorse President Trump for the 2024 election, citing the struggles that Hispanic entrepreneurs and workers are facing in the current economy.
Bienvenido US founder Abraham Enriquez, OTC Global Holdings CEO Javier Loya, and Goya Foods CEO Robert (Bob) Unanue together held a press conference to state why they’re supporting Trump’s re-election.
Economy Remains the Top Issue for Latinos
Recent surveys have shown that the economy is the priority for Hispanic voters, who have now become the largest minority group in the U.S. As a first-generation Mexican-American from Texas, Javier Loya quickly gained his reputation as the NFL’s first Hispanic owner and a key leader in the energy sector. Loya said he was confident that President Trump’s plans could recover the economy and support Hispanic-owned businesses. The business leaders jointly said Hispanic entrepreneurs had thrived and unemployment had hit historic lows during the Trump administration. They stated that inflation has hurt Hispanic businesses and communities the most, affecting labor costs, housing, gas, and food prices. As the CEO of the largest Hispanic-owned food company, Unanue said companies and stores in the industry weren’t price-gauging.“Our costs are higher. We’re not making more of a percentage or even dollars. We’re making the same or less because our costs are high,” said the businessman.
Latino Votes Deemed Most Influential in the 2024 Election
According to The Epoch Times, Latinos now make up 13 percent of eligible voters and would be the deciding factor in the 2024 election. Pew Research Center released new survey results on September 24, showing that 57 percent of eligible Latino voters would vote for Harris, while 39 percent would vote for Trump. The surveys also indicate that besides inflation, Hispanic Americans also reportedly care most about healthcare, crime, and border immigration. Unanue said the majority of human trafficking victims from the border crisis were Hispanic women. “We’re celebrating Hispanic heritage. But at the same time, we’re recognizing that as Hispanics, we’re being exploited, we’re being used and abused, women mainly,” said the CEO. The Goya Foods leader also stated that more Latinos were moving toward “the conservative side” because of financial security, individual liberties, faith, and safety.He said, “You have to have a reason to get up every day: God, family, and work. That’s what unites the Latino community.”
The Rise of Bienvenido US
According to its website, Bienvenido US is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to “celebrate and uplift the cultural values found in the Hispanic community.” The Bienvenido’s Empresarios, which hosted the event, is a coalition under the organization that promotes Hispanic entrepreneurship. In August 2024, Bienvenido US stated that its membership increased by 30 percent after the largest and oldest Hispanic civil rights organization, League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for the presidential election. As the founder of Bienvenido US, Abraham Enriquez said his organization has been on the ground to encourage voter participation among Latinos nationwide.“Our organization has identified five pivotal swing counties across the country, in Texas, Arizona, Nevada, Georgia and Pennsylvania. We are allocating three million dollars for voter education, voter registration, and voter mobilization. This is everything from organic, door-to-door knocking to canvassing to phone banking to peer-to-peer, texting, as well as voter registration through our Faith Action Church Network that we have in each of those five states,” said Enriquez.
Bienvenido’s Empresarios event also promoted Bob Unanue’s new book, ‘Blessed, Donald J. Trump, and the Spiritual War.’ The book highlights the backlash and boycotts against Goya Foods in 2020 after Unanue praised President Trump.
NTD Television and Marina Fatina contributed to this report.