Coalition will fight to keep Illinois a welcoming state despite Latino votes for Trump

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Many Latinos in swing states cast their votes for President-elect Donald Trump, despite promises of a mass deportation and closing the U.S.-Mexico border.

But, a coalition of immigrant and refugee advocates and elected officials came together Wednesday, vowing to resist another Trump presidency. They said they will fight to keep Illinois a welcoming state.

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This comes as the Latino vote nationwide may have handed Trump the presidency for the second time.

"If you come for me and mine, know we will fight back. And, after all of these years, we are still here, and we will stay here," said state Sen. Celina Villanueva, a Democrat with the 12th District.

There are powerful pledges to preserve the rights of immigrants in Chicago, as the threat of mass deportations looms with Trump's second White House win.

"We are going to overcome this because our ancestors have fought harder to lead us to this moment," Democratic Illinois Rep. Norma Hernandez said.

Illinois Latino legislators are part of a coalition promising to protect immigrant and marginalized communities.

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"The Democratic party needs to put a lot more attention to the Latino community. Unfortunately, I'm not proud of how the party treated a lot of the policies that many of the Latino advocacy organizations are pushing, and that is immigration reform," said Illinois Rep. Aaron Ortiz, a Democrat with the 1st District.

President and CEO of the Latino Policy Forum, Silvia Puente, said only about half of Latino voters in the nation had direct outreach from major political parties, and large portions of Latinos have a long history of voting Republican.

"At least a third of the Latino vote in the nation swings Republican in presidential elections," Puente said.

She said George W. Bush secured 40% of the Latino vote.

"Is this a huge outlier? I don't think we know that," Puente said.

Instead, she said people voted with their perceived pocketbooks.

"This is especially salient for working-class people across the nation. It certainly, I think, is clear for working class whites, and I will venture to say it is also true for working-class Latinos," Puente said.

Illinois Republicans are also looking at thinning Democratic margins as an opportunity, even in blue Illinois.

"If you look at the numbers in suburban Cook and Chicago, Donald Trump had almost 38% of the vote. That is astronomical. And the only way you can get that in suburban Cook and Chicago is by getting a high percentage of Latino vote," said Aaron Del Mar, Illinois Republican co-chairman.