By MIKE THOMPSON | Latino Banner
SAGINAW — Angel Gomez is not among opponents who hesitate to publicly oppose President Trump’s actions against undocumented immigrants, and harmful cutbacks in general to people in need.
He understands the cautious concerns of others, noting that Trump indeed carries a track record of seeking revenge, but he sees no other option than to speak out, even with an extended family that includes members defined as “illegals” — or worse, “murderers” and “rapists” — by Trump and by MAGA leadership.
His reaction to last November’s election defeat was to attend a meeting of county Democrats. He listened as others outlined their thoughts on how Dems’ strategies had fallen short, and afterwards he approached Brandell Adams, the new local chairman. The result is that he is organizing the party’s first-ever Latino Caucus, with a startup survey that can be found on the Facebook page for Latino Caucus of Saginaw County Democratic Party.
“Latinos feel like we don’t have a voice,” says Gomez, who is recruiting caucus members while he compiles results of the survey, which essentially asks folks what would be a needed spark to get them involved.
In the process, he is taking an approach that is opposite both the Saginaw and Bay City town councils, where a majority of members rejected resolutions that challenged ongoing ICE raids on human rights principles, saying it wasn’t worth the risk of the president cutting their federal funds in retaliation.
Gomez says, “Trump’s definition of an ‘illegal’ is anyone (Latino) who disagrees with him.”
Angel accepts pronunciations of (Spanish) “ahn-hull” or “ainge-ell,” as in Biblical lineage. Indeed, St. Joe’s Rainbow Parish enjoys his leadership as the youth activities director. Married, employed as a mental health therapist, Gomez’s skills are also a blessing. His oldest of three children is coping with autism, leading to concerns with health care slashes in Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” that passed in conjunction with the Fourth of July holiday.
The seeds for schooling were planted early with his grandmother, Guadalupe Gomez, the pioneering first Latina to serve on the Chesaning Board of Education. His personal sparks for political awareness were scenarios in which he felt discrimination, first at Chesaning High School, where he graduated in 2008, and then as a rare Mexican-American in retail management. His job loss led him to enroll first at Delta College and then at SVSU, where he studied social work for a 2020 bachelor’s degree and a 2023 master’s. He supported his family and paid his tuition with handyman jobs that ranged from lawn care and landscaping to custodian and kitchen cleanup. With his degree, he now is a clinical therapist with McDowell Healing Arts Center.
With his background, Gomez defines the Trump phenomenon in mental health terms. People have been “hurting” in an array of ways, he says, in a changing world that excludes them and often makes them feel isolated. Trump “exploits” these hardships by creating enemies that play to hateful feelings, he says.
Regarding the survey, “you would be surprised” at how many concerns are raised in the initial handful of survey responses, he says.
With 35 detailed responses through mid-July. The survey so far has found that 62 percent of Latinos feel decision makers “barely understand” their issues and another 31 percent feel only “somewhat” of a connection. Only 25 percent feel their “voices matter.” More than 60 percent feel “somewhat unsafe” in public places
A Latino Caucus picnic to promote civic involvem is set for 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 14, a Thursday, at Saginaw Township’s Olson Park on Center and Shattuck next to Zauel Library. It’s a potluck with free hot dogs. Call Gomez at (989) 860-1969. A planning meet-up for the event is 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 5, at local Dem headquarters, 615 Adams in the former Case Funeral Home building in Oldtown Saginaw.
Published with permission by The Latino Banner, July 2025