Let Me Introduce Myself

My name is Ricky Salazar. My parents came to Texas from Monterrey, Mexico, in 1987. Legally. My father worked two jobs — construction during the day, restaurant kitchen at night — until he saved enough to open his own taqueria. He paid taxes from day one. He became a citizen in 1994. He voted Republican in every election until he died in 2019.

If you watch the news, my family doesn't exist. The media has decided that Hispanic Americans are a monolithic bloc — reliably progressive, permanently grateful to the Democratic Party, and incapable of independent thought. This narrative is both wrong and insulting.

The Numbers They Ignore

In 2020, Trump improved his margin with Hispanic voters in every border county in Texas. In Zapata County — 94% Hispanic — he won outright. In the Rio Grande Valley, the swing toward Republicans was the largest demographic shift in the election.

This wasn't an anomaly. It was an alignment. Hispanic Americans — particularly those who immigrated legally, built businesses, attend church, and serve in the military — are the most natural conservative constituency in America. The only people who don't see this are the people who don't talk to us.

My mother's political philosophy could be summarized in three words she said every Sunday: "God, family, work." She didn't get that from the RNC. She got it from her mother. And her mother got it from hers.

What We Actually Believe

We believe in legal immigration because we did it the right way and we resent those who cut the line. We believe in small business because we built ours with our own hands. We believe in school choice because we saw what bad schools do to our kids. We believe in law enforcement because our neighborhoods are the first to suffer when the police pull back.

None of this is complicated. None of this requires a focus group. It's common sense, informed by experience, and shared across kitchen tables in every Hispanic community I've visited from El Paso to Miami.

The Opportunity

The conservative movement doesn't need to "reach out" to Hispanic Americans. It needs to show up. Be present in the communities. Fund the candidates. Tell our stories — the real ones, not the ones crafted by consultants who've never eaten a tamale that wasn't catered.

We're already here. We've always been here. The movement just needs to notice.