Key US Latino group says new name will help fight vs. Trump
PHOENIX — A new, more inclusive name for the largest Latino civil rights organization in the U.S. will help it gain support for its growing battle against the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant policies, the group said.
The National Council of La Raza, or NCLR, will announce Monday that it will become UnidosUS, a change three years in the making that is in response to group members who felt “raza,” meaning “the people,” was outdated, President Janet Murguia said.
She insists it was not a reaction to outside critics, including conservatives and others who say the term promotes ethnic exclusivity. It comes as the group gears up for a wider fight for Latino rights with many in the community seeing hostility from President Donald Trump, Murguia said.
His administration wants to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, has heavily stepped up immigrant arrests and targeted funding for cities and states that don’t co-operate with federal immigration authorities.