OGDEN — Donald Trump has tough words for immigrants and has made deportation of those in the United States illegally a top priority.

But it doesn't offend Juan Peña, a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Mexico who now runs an evangelical ministry in Ogden. He, like an increasing share of Latino voters, some exit polling shows, voted for Trump, a Republican and the winner in Nov. 6 presidential balloting over Democrat Kamala Harris.

"I agree with him, to an extent, because we have personal experience with it," he said, alluding to uncomfortable encounters with recently arrived Latinos at the food pantry he operates who express entitlement to benefits and services they think they deserve. "This is what we need to stop. There needs to be better controls of who's coming in."

Ignacio Valdez, another naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Mexico, also voted for Trump, pointing to his savvy and business experience. "He's a tough guy, definitely. If he's able to manage a business empire, 100% sure that he can manage the whole country," said Valdez, who lives in Washington Terrace and unsuccessfully sought the GOP nomination this cycle to run for the District 10 Utah House seat.

Other Latino voters he knows voted for Trump, he said, due to worries about the U.S. economy under President Joe Biden, a Democrat, and hopes that the Republican can turn things around.

"Why Latinos are voting for Trump is because of the economy. Immigrants came here for a better life," Valdez said. "Trump understands the principle of economy, so obviously Latinos — that's what they want. They came here for the money, and they want to be able to feed their families."

Even before presidential voting culminated on Nov. 6, the Trump and Harris campaigns were both pushing hard for the Latino vote, which has traditionally tilted Democratic. Some exit polling on Election Day showed a shift toward the GOP by Latino voters, prompting debate that continues over where the heart and soul of the growing, diverse population lies.

In fact, many Latinos are leery of Trump given his critical talk aimed at immigrants here illegally, among other issues. Immigrant advocates in Utah, mindful of their role in the workforce and other contributions, are preparing a defense to the anticipated backlash from the president-elect after he takes office.

Likewise, despite any Republican inroads in Latino support this election cycle, Latinos nationally still tilted more Democratic, polling after Nov. 5 voting shows. Nationally, Hispanics favored Harris over Trump by a 52%-46% margin, according to Edison Research data cited by the Washington Post. Data gathered by American Electorate Poll shows Latinos backed Harris over Trump by a 62%-37% split, not far off the Democratic-Republican margin in presidential voting in 2020 between Biden and Trump.

"Latinos must be invested in if we hope to turn out the Latino vote. We can no longer be ignored or take it for granted," Frankie Miranda, president of the Hispanic Federation, said in a statement this week issued by a coalition of national Latino advocacy groups that released the American Electorate Poll data. The Hispanic Federation focuses on defending the rights of Latinos, including immigrants, and other advocacy work for the community.

'You don't have to like him to vote for him'

Either way, voters like Valdez, Peña and others help shed light on the draw to Trump and the Republican Party among Latinos as the tug-of-war for political support from the group intensifies.

Gabriela Puckett, a naturalized U.S. citizen and Trump voter originally from Cuba who now lives in Cedar Hills, cited concerns with illegal immigration.

Tightening border security, a Trump focus, is direly needed "to protect this country and to protect the people who live here. We don't want this country to be a refuge for people who are bad, who have committed bad crimes back in their countries," she said. It would be one thing if there were a means to screen people coming across the border, she went on, "but we don't have a filter; there's no way to know who they are."

Dean Martinez, of Roy, a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Belize, sees a more natural affinity between Latinos and the Republican Party on certain social issues like abortion, irrespective of Trump. But he also cited what he said is Trump's focus on helping working people, a large chunk of the Latino population, as exemplified by his talk of scaling back taxes on overtime pay.

"Latinos' concerns are not very different than regular American peoples' concerns," he said. "For the most part, these people just want to come, earn a living and protect their families and live safely."

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As for Trump's harsh talk geared toward immigrants, Martinez said the specter of a better economy under the Republican serves as a counterbalance to his rhetoric. "You don't have to like him to vote for him. What you care about is the results on your family," Martinez said.

At any rate, the criticism aimed at immigrants here illegally doesn't faze some Latino voters.

Peña said he encounters Latin American immigrants he believes to be here illegally at the food pantry he operates through his Ogden congregation, Mustard Seed Faith Ministries. He'll provide them with food, he said, but they don't seem appreciative and seem to always be demanding more and more help and services. Not all are like that, but Peña has his own critical words.

"They're taking away from the people who need it," he said. "We need a better policy at the border. We need more enforcement."

Gabriel Urgelles, of American Fork, a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from Venezuela who sought political asylum here, said his support for Trump stems mainly from his hopes that the Republican can strengthen the U.S. economy. But he shares Trump's concerns about the influx of immigrants into the United States. "All the people are criminals. They want to destroy the country," he charged.

Many studies, actually, have shown that immigrants are arrested at much lower rates than native-born U.S. citizens. A report last September focused on Texas that was funded by the U.S. National Institute of Justice, for instance, found that immigrants here illegally were arrested at less than half the rate of native-born U.S. citizens for drug offenses and violent crimes.

Regardless, when Trump makes his critical remarks, Urgelles doesn't take it personally. "It doesn't affect me because it's not me. I'm not that type of person," he said.

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