Carlos Espina didn’t set out to become a leading source of news and information for the U.S. Latino community. A recent Vassar College graduate, he initially planned a career in immigration law. But as the COVID-19 pandemic upended job prospects and he began assisting with citizenship test preparation for the Brazos network, Espina discovered a more direct way to help – and a rapidly growing audience hungry for reliable information in their native language. Today, he’s a prominent example of the rise of the Spanish-language news influencer, filling a void left by traditional media and building trust through direct engagement and, increasingly, direct aid.
The shift highlights a broader trend: audiences, particularly within diaspora communities, are turning to individuals they perceive as authentic and accessible, often finding them on platforms like TikTok and YouTube. This is especially true for the approximately 62.5 million Hispanics living in the United States, a demographic often underserved by mainstream English-language news and facing challenges navigating complex systems like immigration. Espina’s success isn’t just about filling a content gap; it’s about meeting a critical necessitate for culturally relevant, easily understood information.
Espina’s journey began modestly, teaching citizenship classes online. When he exhausted the available practice questions, he started sharing insights gleaned from his correspondence with detained migrants, responding directly to questions in the comments. A suggestion to post on TikTok, then a burgeoning social media platform, proved pivotal. Initially skeptical – he described the app as “kind of a silly app” – he quickly realized there was little to no Spanish-language content offering practical, useful information for U.S. Latinos. “There was no one producing content in Spanish for Latinos that wasn’t entertainment,” he explained. “I grew quickly, without competition.”
Reaching an Essential Workforce
His core audience, from the beginning, has been the essential workforce: construction workers, restaurant staff, hotel employees, hospital personnel and others who keep the country running. These are individuals often working long hours, with limited access to traditional news sources, and facing unique challenges navigating the U.S. System. Espina’s content, delivered in clear, conversational Spanish, addresses those challenges directly. He doesn’t just explain the *what* of immigration policy; he explains the *how* – how to fill out forms, how to prepare for interviews, how to understand your rights.
As his reach expanded, Espina began incorporating more personal elements into his content – a birthday message for his mother, a modern puppy, a soccer game with friends – fostering a sense of community and trust. This, in turn, led to more specific requests for information about the immigration system. He gathers information from a variety of sources, including immigration lawyers he connects with in online groups, official government websites like the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and established news organizations such as the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and CNN. He acknowledged at the International Symposium on Journalism at the University of Texas at Austin last year that he doesn’t independently verify all information, relying on the reporting of established outlets when dealing with critical updates. “If something is very relevant and those outlets have verified it, I consider it credible,” he said.
A Shift in Trust and Media Consumption
Espina’s rise is happening alongside a broader disruption of the media landscape, as veteran journalist Jorge Ramos observes. Ramos, who spent nearly four decades as an anchor at Univision, has also embraced independent content creation, now publishing on platforms like Substack, TikTok, and YouTube, and co-hosting a podcast with his daughter, Paola. He attributes the shift to declining trust in traditional media and a migration of audiences to digital platforms. “Audiences were falling year after year, as if the Martians had abducted them,” Ramos said, adding that “they were, of course, migrating from television to digital media.”
Ramos believes this presents a significant opportunity for Spanish-language journalists, particularly those who have been displaced by the contraction of traditional media – Univision, for example, significantly scaled back its U.S. Digital news operation earlier this year – and for those just starting their careers. “When I started, everyone wanted to be an anchor. Today, trying to do that would be a very serious mistake. You have to be a surfer, navigating content across different platforms,” Ramos said. “Carlos does it better than anyone else in Spanish.” The New Yorker recently detailed the broader trend of traditional news outlets adapting to short-form video content, recognizing the need to meet audiences where they are (CNN’s shift to short-form video).
Beyond Information: Direct Assistance and Community Building
What truly sets Espina apart, however, is his willingness to go beyond simply providing information. He actively assists his audience, offering financial support to those in need. Recent examples include purchasing a van for a follower with two children with disabilities, covering the cost of a prosthetic leg for a young man, and posting a $3,000 bond for a migrant detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) whose mother is blind, personally driving the individual home after their release. He has reportedly given hundreds of thousands of dollars in direct aid and established a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting both migrants and the wider community. He is currently planning to purchase land in Houston to build a community center.
This direct engagement, while unconventional for a news source, has cemented his credibility and fostered a deep sense of loyalty among his followers. It’s a model that challenges traditional journalistic boundaries, blurring the lines between reporter and advocate. It also raises questions about the responsibilities of influencers and the potential for bias, particularly when financial assistance is involved. However, for an audience often marginalized and overlooked, Espina’s actions represent a lifeline.
Espina’s nonprofit organization is currently fundraising for its next phase of expansion, with a focus on providing legal assistance to asylum seekers. He is also scheduled to speak at a conference on digital media and immigration in Los Angeles next month. The continued growth of his platform and the impact of his work will likely depend on his ability to balance his role as an information provider with his commitment to direct assistance, all while navigating the evolving landscape of digital media and the complex challenges facing the Latino community in the United States.
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