From the Democratic Party of Virginia:
ICYMI: Virginia Democrats hold press call on Trump’s hateful policies and failures to the Latino community
RICHMOND – Earlier today DPVA hosted a press call with Sindy Benavides, the National Chief Executive Officer at the League of United Latin American Citizens, and Delegates Hala Ayala and Elizabeth Guzman, the first Latina women elected to the General Assembly, to discuss how the Trump administration has failed the Latino community in Virginia and across the country. A full video of the event can be streamed here.
“We’re facing evictions, we’re facing an economic crisis, we’re facing attacks on our democracy…we can’t go on with four more years of Donald Trump in office…My father, coming from El Salvador, was looking for the American dream and he was welcomed. And it feels like all of that has deteriorated with [Trump] in office. Joe Biden will be a breath of fresh air, he’ll be someone who will fight for our communities,” said Delegate Ayala.
“The dignity and respect of the Latino community is going to be on the ballot this November…[Trump] has not taken this pandemic seriously. He’s made this virus political. He has not kept us safe. And he has made racist attacks, blaming the virus on the Asian community just like how he makes constant racist attacks on Black and Brown people. And the reality is that this virus is disproportionately affecting people of color, and Trump does not care about the virus. The reality is that he’s racist and this virus is killing Black and Brown people,” said Delegate Guzman.
“What we’re seeing at this moment is a direct frontal attack on the Latino community…The Latino community is being attacked in terms of the Census, rolling [the Census completion deadline] back for one full month during a pandemic to September 30. We see this as a really intentional attack on our democracy, a way to keep our community invisible and make sure we’re not counting…With COVID-19 we know from Surgeon General Adams that five out of six Latinos have to leave their house every single day to work and get paid. And the truth is that not only in Virginia but across this country we’re seeing the Latino community disproportionately impacted,” said Benavides.
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