President Joe Biden Reassures National Latino Group About Immigration Plans; Promises That Biden Administration Got Latinos’ Backs

Despite disagreements in the Senate over the parts of the current administration's domestic policy agenda, United States President Joe Biden reassured those who tuned in to a conference organized by a major Latino group Monday that their communities could expect better times ahead under his presidency.

Biden's Latino Promise: Pathways to Citizenship

According to NBC News, President Joe Biden's comments were recorded for the conference of UnidosUS, the nation's largest Latino advocacy group. Biden, who left a special message for Latinos at the conference, stated that the pandemic and its resulting economic crisis "brought disproportionate heartache to Latino families, even as so many Latinos - including immigrants - stepped up to carry Americans through this crisis."

Biden: Build Back Better

The biggest Latino advocacy group in the U.S. came as the Senate continues to negotiate on the two-pronged domestic plan Biden projected to happen within a five-year span. The first one was the $579 billion infrastructure package while the other one was the $3.5 billion spending plan that Democrats could pass without approval from Republicans.

Also, Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., stated in an interview that possible immigration changes were being explored in the spending plan, but its details have not yet been released.

Meanwhile, Latinos were disproportionately hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. Latinos' vaccination rates have lagged in the past compared to other groups, and the pandemic erased some of the economic gains that Latinos got from previous years. Even the Trump administration programs such as the Paycheck Protection Program business loans only helped too few Latino business owners despite suffering from similar economic burdens with other businesses.

Moreover, there were also generations of immigrants who were waiting for promised fixes to the U.S. immigration system and for the U.S. President to shepherd them through Congress to paths of citizenship. However, a federal judge in Texas recently considered the DACA program illegal. The Deferred Action for Child Arrivals or DACA program helped teens and young adults who lack legal status after having been brought to the U.S. as children. Minors and young adults part of the program were referred to as Dreamers, who had recently sent applications for citizenship.

U.S. President Joe Biden stated during his brief address, "that's why we need pathways to citizenship for undocumented Americans." Biden alao emphasized, "until we secure that pathway for Dreamers, TPS holders, farmworkers and all those who contribute to our nation every single day, from fixing our immigration system to creating jobs to raising wages to protect the sacred right to vote, my administration will always have your back. I promise you."

Biden also spoke of reduced caseloads and deaths and the improved vaccinations in the Latino community after the administration checked some concerns. Even with the Delta variant causing an uptick in cases and hospitalizations, largely among the unvaccinated individuals, Latino groups have stressed the importance of boosting vaccination rates in Hispanic communities.

This article is owned by Latin Post

Written by Jess Smith

WATCH: UnidosUS 2021 Annual Conference - UnidosUS