After a nail-biting four days of uncertainty, Democratic candidate Joe Biden won the November 3 election along with Kamala Harris as his vice-presidential running mate. For many there is a sigh of relief, especially because Biden has taken a stand on key issues such as plans for COVID-19 relief, immigration, and the economy.
So what exactly does his win mean for the nation and Latinos? First off, Biden has taken the pandemic seriously from the very start, unlike President Trump. He wants to minimize the spread of the coronavirus by implementing mask mandates nationwide, making tests free to all, regardless of immigration status. Trump downplayed the seriousness of the virus from the very start, thus causing more than 243,257 American deaths and the United States taking the lead in the most reported cases these past few months. Biden wants the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to work with scientists worldwide for advice and testing to ensure safety and a real chance at change by fighting against this virus.
Immigration-wise, Biden believes in restoring the value of the American Dream which is embracing the multicultural ideal in this country rather than rejecting it. He will create new immigration policies and will reverse the many things Trump did as president. He doesn’t believe in building a wall, separating families or denying asylum to families fleeing poverty and violence in their home countries.
Biden wants to work with the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to grant them a path to citizenship on his first day as president. He will also call a moratorium on deportations in his first 100 days as president. He wants to raise the number of refugees permitted into the country to 125,000 per year. Obtaining visas during Trump’s presidency had many restrictions, but Biden wants to make that process easier for both permanent and temporary work visas.
This is the time to reflect about the needs of this country and realize how we hold the power to amplify our voices to be heard and make a change.
The capitalist system has begun to crumble and is showing its true injustice toward the people, especially minorities. Police brutality, inhumane treatment by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), systematic racism, the eviction crisis, women’s rights being at stake, expensive healthcare, weakened environmental laws, civil rights, are just a few of the many issues that urgently need to be resolved.
In response, over the last few years, a revolution has been brewing among the people. We began marching the streets, signing petitions, joining organizations and telling our personal stories. Biden’s winning the election doesn’t mean that these problems will suddenly disappear. For that to happen, we must continue to fight for systematic change.
This country was built around the idea of the American Dream, but realizing that dream is nearly impossible because of the system we live in. We need a systemic change that provides for all so that the dream of freedom and equal opportunity will become attainable for everyone.
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