Oldest U.S. Latino advocacy group breaks tradition to endorse Harris, Walz

Aug. 9 (UPI) -- The League of United Latin American Citizens advocacy group broke with its longstanding tradition of not issuing presidential endorsements on Friday to back the Democratic 2024 ticket of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.

As the oldest and largest Latino civil rights group in the country, LULAC has avoided coming out in favor of one presidential candidate or another over the course of its 95-year history.

But, in citing what he called the "politics of hate-mongering and scapegoating Latinos and immigrants," LULAC Adelante PAC Chairman Domingo Garcia ended that tradition on Friday by endorsing Harris and Walz over the GOP ticket of former President Donald Trump and Sen. JD Vance, R-Ohio.

"Today, we are proud to endorse Kamala Harris and Tim Walz because of the real issues facing Latino communities and all Americans across the nation; we can trust them to do what is right for our community and the country," he wrote in a social media post .

In endorsing Harris, Garcia said that throughout her career, she has "demonstrated a commitment to justice, equality, and inclusivity -- values that resonate deeply with the Latino community and will move our country forward in the right direction.

"The politics of hate-mongering and scapegoating Latinos and immigrants must be stopped!" he declared.

The move comes two days after LULAC issued a report detailing what it calls the "disproportionately negatively impacts" on Latino civil rights posed by the policies detailed in the Heritage Foundation's 2025 Mandate for Leadership , otherwise known as Project 2025, the conservative think tank's roadmap for the next Republican presidency,

Since hitting the campaign trail for first time this week, Harris and Walz have repeatedly cited the policy prescriptions contained in Project 2025 as a threat to American minorities and to multiracial democracy.

"Project 2025 is proof: If Donald Trump wins in November, he will continue to attack equality, take away freedoms, and undermine our democracy," Harris said in a video posted to social media on Monday.

Trump has disavowed any connections with the Heritage Foundation's blueprint despite his documented appearances with its authors and key supporters.

Included in Project 2025's pages are calls to repeal protections provided to undocumented immigrants under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2008. LULAC said repeal of the measures would result in "the large-scale use of detention facilities to mass incarcerate migrants."

The conservative roadmap also envisions removing "all sensitive zones" where U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are currently prohibited from operating, thus legalizing raids on schools and churches.

In addition, Project 2025 proposes to restrict legal entries by cutting interim immigration into the United States, such as by limiting the issuance of H-2A and H2-B visas for seasonal agricultural workers.