(RNS) — More than 100 Latino Christians leaders signed a statement saying the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, an evangelical adviser to President Donald Trump and a go-to voice for Hispanic evangelical perspectives, and news media have exaggerated the size of Rodriguez’s reach as president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference.
In the statement released Tuesday (March 10), the signers said they were prompted to speak out because of the damage the Trump administration’s immigration policies have done to Latino communities.
Rodriguez and the Rev. Tony Suarez, vice president of the NHCLC, are among a handful of Hispanic evangelical pastors advising the president. In recent months, they have lamented that the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement has not focused on deporting criminals, and they have continued to advocate for immigration reform through the Dignity Act, a bipartisan immigration bill.
Several signers of the letter, titled “We are not a monolith, we are a multitude,” said that while Rodriguez represents some Latino evangelicals, he should not be the sole public representative.
“It’s not just a misrepresentation but how that misrepresentation is impacting the communities we serve,” said the Rev. Gabriel Salguero, president of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition and a letter signer. “Our people are hurting, and our people are not going to stand for apologists for this kind of immigration action.”
Building on years of simmering frustration with Rodriguez among some Latino evangelicals, letter signers interviewed by Relig …