Report: Raising the minimum wage is actually harmful to Hispanics

Increasing the minimum wage dramatically reduces job opportunities for Hispanic Americans, a recent report released by the conservative LIBRE Institute found.

The report revealed that increasing the minimum wage decreased job opportunities for Americans with a lower education level — something the study said to be more prevalent among Hispanics than the general population.

"That's a barrier; that's not an opportunity," Daniel Garza, president and chairman of the nonprofit group, told TheBlaze in an interview.

The report also found a high number of Hispanics actually support a minimum wage increase — 74 percent, to be exact — but that number decreased to 58 percent disapproval once they learned of the impact it has on jobs.

Garza attributed this high level of support to liberals who have done a better job of appealing to the Latino community than those on the right.

"A big reason why a lot of liberal policies are popular in the Latino community is because it's been one-sided," Garza said.

The left, including celebrities, unions and politicians, have invested in the Latino community, he added.

Backed by unions, the "Fight For $15" campaign to raise the minimum wage has already seen some success, as FiveThirtyEight pointed out in November. California and New York have approved increasing the minimum wage to $15 per hour — a move that is to be carried out over the next few years.

Republican President-elect Donald Trump has waffled throughout his campaign on whether he sign a bill to raise the federal minimum wage or leave it up to the states.

But Andy Puzder, CEO of fast food company CKE, who is in the running to join Trump's Cabinet as labor secretary, is a concern for liberals who see Puzder as a foe of the fight to raise the minimum wage.

Read the LIBRE Institute's full report below.

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