An Important Message from U.S. Minority Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Doug Mayorga
THE CHAMBER´S POINT OF VIEW!
A STATEMENT OF FRUSTRATION:
THE ECONOMIC ABANDONMENT OF MINORITY BUSINESSES IN AMERICA
By Doug Mayorga, Founder & President, Board of Directors
United States Minority Chamber of Commerce — Est. 1999
Twenty-six years ago, I founded this Chamber with a single conviction: that minority-owned businesses are the backbone of the American economy and deserve a powerful, unified voice. Today, after more than two and a half decades of advocacy, trade missions, and relentless work on behalf of our members, I write these words not with optimism — but with disappointment, urgency, and a deep sense of responsibility to speak the truth.
We Voted. And We Expected Better.
Our community went to the polls. We voted — massively — for President Donald Trump, because we were fed up with the failures and corruption of the previous administration: the reckless open-border policies that admitted millions of undocumented individuals, the rampant fraud within federal agencies and embassies abroad, and a political class that enriched itself while minority entrepreneurs were left to struggle alone. We believed in the promise of a stronger, fairer economy. We believed change was coming.
Fourteen months into this administration, I am compelled to say — as President of this Chamber and as a voice for thousands of minority business owners — that we have been left behind. The rich have gotten richer. The policies enacted have largely benefited large corporations and established interests, while small and medium-sized minority businesses have seen their economic conditions deteriorate month after month.
We Are Sinking — And We Have Said So, Repeatedly.
We have written to this administration. We have communicated in no uncertain terms: “We are sinking.” Without meaningful economic energy — without real opportunities, real contracts, and real access — minority businesses cannot survive, let alone thrive. The silence in response to those warnings has been deafening.
Export Trade: A Missed Opportunity With a Political Price Tag.
Through our offices in Bogotá and Tegucigalpa, we have cultivated relationships with serious, established business leaders from Honduras and Colombia — entrepreneurs ready to close contracts, purchase American products, and build lasting commercial partnerships. These opportunities represent exactly the kind of export-driven economic growth that benefits American businesses and workers.
And yet, time and again, these business leaders have been denied visas to attend our international summits — even when they had confirmed appointments to sign contracts and purchase goods. Millions of dollars in export contracts have been lost. Jobs that could have been created, never were.
When I sought answers, the response I received from a commercial attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Tegucigalpa was stunning. I was told, in substance: “Nobody at this Embassy wants you here because you are a Trump fanatic.” This is not a policy disagreement. This is political retaliation — wielded against American minority business leaders and their international partners, by the very diplomatic staff whose mission is to promote American commerce abroad. It is unacceptable. It is an abuse of power. And it must be addressed.
What We Are Calling For.
As the founder and President of the United States Minority Chamber of Commerce, I call on this administration to:
1. Acknowledge the economic deterioration facing minority small and medium businesses across the nation and develop targeted relief and opportunity programs.
2. Investigate and correct the politicized conduct at U.S. embassies and consulates that is blocking legitimate business visas and costing American exporters millions of dollars.
3. Establish real, accessible channels through which minority chambers of commerce can engage the administration on trade, export, and economic development policy.
4. Ensure that the prosperity being generated in this economy reaches minority entrepreneurs — not only Wall Street and the corporate elite.
We did not spend 26 years building bridges between minority communities and the American economy to watch those bridges collapse under political indifference. Our members are not a footnote in this nation’s economic story — they are a central chapter. We ask this President to honor the trust that minority voters placed in him, and to act — now — before more businesses close, more contracts are lost, and more communities are left behind.
The time for letters and warnings has passed. The time for action is today.