Nothing will ever deport the truth about Latinos; not even Donald Trump.
In a year clouded by political vitriol and the steady erasure of Latino narratives, the return of John Leguizamo’s vital and entertaining series “Leguizamo Does America” becomes the cultural counterpunch we desperately need.
The second season of his MSNBC docuseries, which begins airing on Sunday night, sees Leguizamo, 64, exploring new cities, including Philadelphia, Phoenix, New Orleans and San Antonio.
The Emmy and Tony Award-winning actor and activist has long used his platform to spotlight Latino excellence and expose the systems that suppress it. In the first season of “Leguizamo Does America,” he traveled across the U.S., from Miami to Chicago to Los Angeles, lifting the veil on Latino communities often overlooked or misrepresented in mainstream media.
With President Donald Trump once again dominating the political conversation — and with his administration displaying the xenophobic rhetoric he began in 2016 — Latino communities face renewed daily and moment-to-moment threats. From mass deportations to persistent false claims about immigrant crime and culture, the Trump-led GOP is again wielding fear as policy.
Just this year, multiple headlines have reported undocumented (and American-born) migrants being kidnapped in border states, ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) raids ramping up and Latino history being scrubbed from school curricula in states such as Florida and Texas. This erasure is no longer figurative; it’s becoming institutionalized.
Enter “Leguizamo Does America,” now more critical than ever. Season 2 continues to celebrate Latino identity while directly challenging the misinformation driving anti-Latino sentiment. In a media landscape that still underrepresents Latinos — who make up nearly 20% of the U.S. population — the show offers both a reality check and a rallying cry.
More than a travelogue, “Leguizamo Does America” is a thoughtful political act — storytelling as resistance, joy as protest and love as the ultimate weapon. Leguizamo’s warm humor and unfiltered commentary create space for hard conversations — about immigration, identity and who gets to define what it truly means to be American.
In a time when Latino voters are a decisive force, the show succeeds at what politicians often fail to do: listen. To those who still view Latinos as nothing more than gardeners, handymen outside Home Depot, or worse — criminal aliens bringing drugs across the border — you would do yourself a great service to learn about our vibrant culture and people.
With Leguizamo, director Ben DeJesus and showrunner Carolina Saavedra amplifying real voices from real neighborhoods, the show reminds viewers — and voters — that Latino communities are not monolithic. Rather, they are rich, diverse and deeply embedded in the American fabric.
In a moment when Latino lives are too often politicized or erased, “Leguizamo Does America” stands as proof: We are here. We are seen. And our stories will not be silenced.
The second season of “Leguizamo Does America” premieres on Sunday, July 6 at 9 p.m. ET on MSNBC.
