March 11, 2026 — More than 100 Latino Christian leaders released an open letter titled We are not a monolith, we are a multitude on March 10, disputing claims by Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC), that he represents millions of Latinos or more than 42,000 churches. The signers, prompted by the impact of President Donald Trump’s immigration policies on Latino communities, urged media to verify sources and amplify diverse voices.
The Open Letter
Over 100 Latino Christian leaders dispute Samuel Rodriguez’s influence as president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference. Signers from denominations including Assemblies of God, Evangelical Covenant Church, Reformed Church in America, and others include Rev. Gabriel Salguero of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition, Rev. Carlos Malavé of the Latino Christian National Network, and Rev. Elizabeth Rios of Passion2Plant.
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“This demonstrates the need for media outlets to verify claims and accurately reflect the diversity and complexity of Latino Christian institutions in the United States.”
The letter challenges NHCLC’s membership claims, noting the organization’s website was inaccessible during publication, displaying error messages.[1]
Rev. Salguero stated, “It’s not just a misrepresentation but how that misrepresentation is impacting the communities we serve. Our people are hurting.” Rev. Rios added, “We’re just tired of people always pivoting to him as the unverified person that’s representing millions of people.”
Rodriguez’s Response
Rodriguez denied exaggerating membership figures, saying, “We don’t claim at all” public numbers and accused signers of “bearing false witness” driven by “personal animus and jealousy.” He framed the dispute as “just a family conversation taking place which shouldn’t take place publicly.”
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“We’re not about the number of churches, and we’re not about the number of millions of people. We are about serving our community.”
Broader Coverage and Reactions
Over 100 Latino Christian leaders dispute Samuel Rodriguez’s influence as president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, as covered by Baptist News Global on March 12, linking to the RNS report. Christianity Today responded, clarifying Rodriguez’s February op-ed on immigration was newsworthy for critiquing Trump policies, committing to diverse voices: “CT has a robust record of speaking out against unjust immigration policies.”
On social media, Julie Roys shared the story, noting Rodriguez “does not speak for us.”[3] NHCLC Vice President Rev. Tony Suarez called the RNS article a “hit piece” on X, claiming signers support “liberal woke progressives.”[7]
Context and Polls
Over 100 Latino Christian leaders dispute Samuel Rodriguez’s influence as president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference amid polls showing diverse views. A PRRI survey found 64% of Hispanic Protestants have little confidence in ICE, while Pew reported 55% of Latino evangelical Protestants disagreed with Trump’s immigration approach. NHCLC claims to represent most of 7-9 million Hispanic evangelicals in the U.S.
The story has been aggregated on Ground.news and featured by Word&Way and America’s Voice.[5]