<p class="wp-block-paragraph">President Donald Trump will mark Hispanic Heritage Month on Wednesday by hosting a celebration at the White House with hundreds of Hispanic Americans and some business owners.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">The celebration highlights the administration’s efforts to engage Latino voters ahead of the midterm elections. However, the event contrasts with the president’s immigration policies, which have included a nationwide deportation effort led by Immigration and Customs Enforcement that critics argue disproportionately affects the Hispanic community.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is of Cuban descent, and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, along with his wife Rachel Campos-Duffy, who is Latina, are expected to attend the event, according to a White House official. Rubio stated that commemorating Hispanic Heritage Month honors Hispanic Americans who have contributed to “every realm of society.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">“Under the Trump Administration we are seeing the implementation of a foreign policy agenda that is once and for all prioritizing our region’s safety and security,” Rubio said in recognition of the month. “From the creation of the Shield of the Americas, to holding accountable Foreign Terrorist Organizations, and restoring an economic agenda that works for Hispanic Americans, we remain committed to working and winning for the American people.”</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">During the event, Trump is expected to emphasize his administration’s efforts to tighten sanctions on Cuba’s communist regime. In August, the White House announced sanctions on five Cuban entities and eight individuals involved in securing weapons and maintaining relationships with foreign militaries. The economic pressure has exacerbated issues with Cuba’s electric grid, leading to several blackouts over the past year.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Trump is also anticipated to highlight his administration's achievements for Hispanic Americans, including tax cuts for working families, a reduction in the poverty rate among the Hispanic population to a record low, and a significant increase in Hispanic homeownership.</p>
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<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Additionally, the president will discuss Operation Absolute Resolve, in which U.S. forces captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro. Following the operation, the United States and Venezuela established a working relationship, resulting in an oil deal that allows North American Blue Energy Partners access to over 60 million barrels of Venezuelan oil reserves.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Trump had previously marked Hispanic Heritage Month earlier in September, stating that Hispanic Americans “shaped the fabric of our culture, strengthened our most cherished institutions, and advanced the promise of the American Dream.”</p>