A Reuters study on consumer spending indicates that Latino spending for non-essential goods and services is in a sharp decline. A recent surge in deportations is causing Latinos, even those who are U.S. citizens, to curtail their shopping out of fear of deportation or harassment. The CEO of Target, Brian Cornell, says that Latinos are staying home and going out less often. Experts say that brands popular with Latinos such as Nike, Sketchers, and Vans could take a big hit however, essentials, such as food and household items, are showing less of an impact. In my view, this is only the tip of the iceberg. Latinos are the U.S. economic drivers behind everything from consumer spending to labor force growth. While Latinos are extremely resilient, bounce back spending typically occurs very gradually. It will be fascinating to see how our policy makers respond once corporate profits and the national GDP start to tank.
Next week, I will be speaking at a Hispanic Leadership Summit at the United Nations. I was asked to speak on the topic of Unity. The following is a preview of my speech.
The image of Latinos is not just a nice thought; it affects everything from business opportunities and access to capital to how our children are treated at school. Latinos are among the hardest workers and most entrepreneurial of any group in America. However, negativity has dominated the narrative about Latinos for far too long. This one is on us.
We currently have 11 million unfilled jobs in America. Ending illegal immigration will either dramatically increase that number and have massive disruption to our economy, or we will have to...