Geraldo Rivera sharply criticized the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement on Monday, telling CNN that masked federal agents are “preying largely on Latinos” and describing the policy’s execution as “appalling,” according to a clip of the appearance published by Breitbart.
Speaking on “News Central,” Rivera — now a correspondent-at-large for NewsNation — argued that the administration’s approach has alienated a community that Republicans had made inroads with in recent election cycles.
A warning about the Latino vote
Rivera predicted a broad electoral shift away from the GOP across the southern Latino belt, from Florida to Texas, Arizona and California. He claimed that roughly two out of three Latinos who had voted Republican have now decided to go “back the other way,” often toward the Democrats.
While Rivera said cost-of-living concerns and the war in Iran weigh on voters, he told CNN’s Brianna Keilar that immigration enforcement was the issue he believed was most personally resonant for Latino voters.
“I think it is the absolute cruelty, the abject cruelty with which the Trump administration has administered its immigration policy,” Rivera said.
Masks at the center of the critique
A central part of Rivera’s criticism focused on the use of masks by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. He said the practice amounts to profiling and argued ICE is the only law enforcement agency in the country operating in that manner, “as far as I know.”
Rivera framed the combination of masked agents and enforcement tactics as a “toxic brew” that has left Latino communities sad and frightened.
He pushed back on the administration’s stated intention to target criminals, saying: “They said they were going to go after the worst of the worst. Instead, they’re going after Juan and Maria, the babysitter and the apple picker.”
An argument for compassion
The longtime broadcaster acknowledged past problems at the southern border, saying they were real and that he understood the concern. But he argued that with the border now effectively sealed, the administration could afford to show compassion toward people who have lived in the country for years without committing crimes.
“Why not have compassion for people who have been here for years and years and have committed no crimes?” he asked, calling the issue deeply personal for many Latinos — including himself — and warning that Republicans risk losing Latino trust for the foreseeable future if the approach continues.
Who is speaking
Rivera has long been one of the most prominent Latino voices in American broadcasting, moving from local news in New York to national stardom as a talk show host and, later, as a Fox News correspondent. In recent years he has been a frequent critic of former President Donald Trump, and his current role at NewsNation places him in a network that positions itself as a straight-news alternative to ideologically driven cable outlets.
His remarks on CNN — a network that is not his employer — carry added weight in a political moment when both parties are competing intensely for Latino support. Rivera’s claim that Latino voters who previously backed Republicans are reversing course is a familiar argument in Democratic messaging, though it is disputed by GOP strategists who point to gains among Hispanic voters in several states and argue that economic frustration cuts both ways.
The political stakes
His comments come as the administration faces continued scrutiny over the pace and style of its immigration crackdown, including questions about the use of face coverings by federal agents in the field. The practice has drawn legal and civil-liberties pushback from critics who say it impairs accountability, while supporters argue it protects officers from being targeted by criminal networks and internet harassment.
Rivera’s electoral forecast is difficult to verify and remains a matter of political debate; the clip published by Breitbart captures the segment as conveyed by the host outlet, and the broader claims of a sweeping Latino realignment are disputed by both parties’ strategists.
What is clear from his remarks is the intensity of his own position. Rivera described the enforcement campaign not as a policy disagreement but as a moral failing, one he believes is reshaping how Latino families view one of the two major parties.
“It’s something that’s deeply unsettling,” he said. “And I think that if the Republicans are ever to regain the trust of the Latino voter” — he paused to note the border is now secure in the south — “why not have compassion?”
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2026/10/05/geraldo-rivera-appalling-trump-has-masked-ice-agents-preying-on-latinos/