A day after the presidential debate, the Latino-focused nonprofits UnidosUS Action Fund and Mi Familia en Acción alongside California Latino leaders, held a press conference in downtown Los Angeles to address the Latino electorate and the importance of voter mobilization in the wake of this year’s elections.
“We were deeply disappointed to see last night’s debate,” said Janet Murguía, president of UnidosUS Action Fund. “Latinos were ill-served by the lack of thoughtful discussion on the pocketbook issues that we care about.”
While acknowledging President Joe Biden’s poor performance during the debate, speakers stood firm in their support of the president as the nominee for the upcoming election, warning voters of former President Donald Trump’s extreme rhetoric that scapegoated Latino migrants.
“Instead of solutions, we heard offensive, disinformation and dangerous lies about immigrant communities,” said Murguía. “President Trump may have been slightly more animated, but … he was spewing the same old lies and darkness. He demonized, was divisive and dangerously lied about the facts, his record, and most notably, about immigrants and immigration.”
During the debate, Trump made numerous false accusations and divisive comments about immigrants, such as that migrants are taking “Black jobs” and “Hispanic jobs.”
“President Trump will take us backward,” continued Murguía. “While we don’t agree with everything President Biden has proposed, it’s not even a close call when you compare his policies on immigration to President Trump’s extreme policies on immigration.”
She added that the Latino unemployment rate was the highest it’s ever been under President Trump at nearly 20%. Now under Biden, it resides at 4.6%, one of the lowest unemployment rates for Latinos.
“While Latinos are not out of the woods yet economically, President Biden has the vision and policies that will continue the path to progress [that] we have made in the last four years.”
Latinos Continue to Get Left in the Margins
“Latinos see themselves as an important part of this country, and yet, we’re not being included in the conversation,” said LA Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez, a daughter of Mexican immigrants who represents a predominantly Latino community in the San Fernando Valley.
“Latino issues are working family issues,” she continued. “We want safety, we want security for our families, we want great opportunities. We play fair and we work hard, and no longer can our community continue to be exploited for its labor without the proper representation [in government].”
Recent polling data from UnidosUS suggests that the economy, healthcare and immigration reform are among the top concerns for Latino voters.
Ricardo Lara, the only Latino to be a California Insurance Commissioner, reiterated that Latinos continue to be an “afterthought” for both parties, despite growing numbers and increasing participation in the electoral process.
“It’s imperative that the Democratic Party understand that if we’re going to succeed, we can no longer leave Latinos in the margins,” said Lara.
Lara pointed to issues like climate change, which “disproportionately impacts our Latino communities and African Americans.” He noted that extreme heat “impacts our outdoor workers, our farm workers, our sidewalk vendors,” yet the community continues to be left out of climate conversations.
When Latinos are not engaged politically and continue to be ignored in policy decisions, they can become frustrated and disillusioned with the political system.
Combating Extremism by Engaging with the Community
“A large percentage of Latinos tell us in polling year after year, that no one reached out to them for the elections at all, much less the party or candidates they may prefer,” said Rafael Collazo, executive director of UnidosUS Action Fund.
Collazo added that despite Latinos statistically rejecting extremism when they feel like they’re not being seen and there is a political information vacuum in the community, it creates an opportunity for misinformation and disinformation to spread. When there is no counter-narrative, it’s difficult for people to make fully informed decisions.
Efrain Escobedo, Board Vice Chair of Mi Familia en Acción, credits Latinos, black voters, and other voters of color as deciding Biden’s success during the 2020 presidential elections and “saving democracy in this country” from conservative extremism.
“When we invest [in], when we talk to Latino voters, they overwhelmingly will vote against extremism and the MAGA politics and priorities that we saw on full display yesterday evening,” he added.
Escobedo said it’s important to have year-round engagement with Latino communities to combat misinformation and disinformation. When the communities are only engaged every two or four years, they are left to be targeted during those in-between years.
“It takes an on-the-ground 24/7, 365 type of infrastructure, and the funding has not been there,” said Escobedo. “We’re now 20% of the U.S. population. To be 3% of investments in democracy work, as they say, you get what you pay for.”
Mi Familia en Acción, UnidosUS, Communities for a New California Action Fund and others continue to knock on doors and do that on-the-ground mobilization work, but emphasize the need for the larger political system to invest in and engage with the Latino electorate.
A New Generation of Latino Voters
“We are starting to see those third and fourth-generation Latinos show up in our polls. We are starting to see them participate in record numbers,” said Lara.
Latinos are the second largest voting age group in California. This year 23% of the state’s Latino voters will be casting their ballots in a presidential election for the first time.
Most of the incoming younger Latino electorate were not even born in 1994 when Proposition 187 was introduced on the California ballot. The measure, which sought to deny access to healthcare, public education, and other services to undocumented immigrants, also politicized and activated a generation of Latinos such as Lara and Rodriguez, said Escobedo.
He continued that it is important to invigorate this younger generation to think politically and recognize the repercussions of not participating in elections. Part of his work with Mi Familia Vota aims to mobilize these voters through youth organizing.
Pablo Rodriguez, executive director of Communities for a New California Action Fund, does the same on-the-ground voter engagement work. He said that Latina women are the true signal of the Latino electorate, and should be focused on during this election.
“One out of every six registered voters in California is a Latina woman,” said Rodriguez. “Latina voters are the most important voting bloc in California.”
Rodriguez posited that strong voter turnout within this demographic would be the decisive firewall in California against conservative extremism.
Murguía reiterated that “[Latino] voters made a huge difference in 2020. And they will again in 2024,” warning democrats of the repercussions of not giving immediate attention to the Latino electorate.
“What kind of difference they make also depends on the level of investment and attention both parties give. The message for Democrats is that, while you still have time, you have no time to waste in engaging our Latino voters,” she said.