Every two years, on the second Tuesday of November, the 435 members of the United States House of Representatives are elected or re-elected, which is the one that delivers (and not the other way around) the resources for the functioning of the federal government and that can accuse constitutionally to the president. Also, and in his role as spokesperson, the leader of the winning party is only surpassed by the president and vice president in terms of formal power.
The third of the Senate, many governors, mayors and an infinity of minor positions in local and state governments are also renewed, as well as judges, commissioners, sheriffs, and a long etcetera, although the attention will be focused on which party will have control. of the aforementioned Chamber and the Senate, today in the hands of the Democrats as well as the White House.
Until a few months ago, all the polls agreed that the economy would give victory to the Republicans, but the Democrats have managed to rebound, fundamentally on the basis of the mobilization of their voters around the issue of abortion, and a favorable result for the Republicans will depend on whether they manage to impose the idea that a true plebiscite is voted on Biden’s management, just as the last election of 2020 was on Trump, as well as on the turnout of many supporters, since the vote is voluntary.
This election could have an additional significance, that of marking a relevant change in the perception of the political importance of Latinos, already recognized as the first demographic minority in the country by displacing African-Americans from that seat.
Despite their numbers, Latinos still have not managed to enter the first division of the country, and if the forecasts are true, their votes could be decisive in producing a change towards the Republicans or to support the Democrats, and if it is the first , would represent, above all, a change of era, a before and after, for the public perception, of the country’s elite, and of the media regarding its electoral importance in deciding winners or losers.
The foregoing in a double sense, on the one hand, if they help the Republicans, it would be a continuation of a novelty that began with Trump, and on the other, they would mark a change in trend in the so-called swing states, that is, those few that , by changing their preference in each election, they thus decide the outcome. As an example for this November, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, Florida, just to name a few.
It would not only be a great political leap, but also one of relevance for the rest of the country, since they still have not reached the position that should correspond to them as the first minority. Accustomed to the issue of “race” only as skin color, and in the mirror of African Americans, the rest have a hard time understanding Latino diversity, where even those Latinos with black skin are defined more by their cultural belonging and language than by their color. Therefore, it is difficult for them to understand his political behavior, not only for President Biden, but, above all, for Republicans, who have only recently begun to become aware that for many Latinos, institutions such as the family are very important, in addition to certain conservative ideals, such as law and order.
This recognition could also have another consequence, in the sense that Latino representation is still small in the media and in that factory of dreams that is Hollywood, as well as in leaderships and companies. In other words, it would also mean rising to a different level, which could place this culture and the Spanish language in the main showcases, well above its current and comfortable position in the sector, important but limited.
Is the result enough to make this leap? I think not, that something else would be missing, that they be identified with a specific contribution, but not just any one, but one that is important for the country, for the elite and the dominant culture Anglo.
In my opinion, that issue is immigration, the one that deeply divides the USA, and where it has not been possible to find a solution, and with the current polarization, everything indicates that Republicans and Democrats cannot even talk to reform obsolete legislation, given the current level of mutual disqualifications.
That is the opportunity that is open to Latinos, if they are willing to take advantage of it. Personally, I see it as an equivalent to what was the role of the Afro-American minority in Civil Rights and the resulting legislation, from the 60s of the last century, where they appeared as a uniting element, and from then, a role that no one else has been able to play at their level.
The US has repeatedly failed on the racial issue, but has been very successful in integrating different waves of immigrants. However, unlike countries like Canada or Australia, today it cannot agree on a migration system that is effectively a safe, orderly and legal process. The division between Republicans and Democrats has been going on for years, it is deep, with different visions of the past and the future, and today, in addition, the exchange of insults predominates.
This fact has prevented the minimum continuity in immigration policies as in almost any other area, which is why we are witnessing changes as abrupt as those recorded from Trump to Biden, so the current situation of the southern border It is a complex issue, where legislation is outdated and rationality is scarce.
In practice, the risk assumed by irregular migrants is always outweighed by the attraction represented by American society, where the country also needs them and gives them work, no matter how much the legal system closes its doors to them.
To make the situation even more difficult to resolve, the USA is not a signatory to some international treaties on immigration and children, which, if signed, could introduce greater order and clarity around what should be done, in addition to probably There would be responsibility for the federal government for the current situation, where the cartels abuse migrants, above all, in the punishment and reparation of crimes such as sexual abuse and human trafficking.
The expulsion of millions of people is impossible and unthinkable, which is why the vast majority of those who manage to enter find, in the end, better possibilities than in their countries of origin, including the materialization of their life projects.
What is the opportunity for Latinos?
The opportunity is given by the fact that the political process in the United States has not been able to overcome its conflicts, and a solution could be advanced if the Latino community can introduce greater rationality by incorporating the elements that today seem to be antagonistic, that is, the need to welcome immigrants, but with a scheme that guarantees security, both of the borders and of the migrants themselves.
That would be the opportunity that, if seized, would allow Latinos to be a benchmark that fulfills a role that today no one else seems to be in a position to represent, by including the different elements at stake, and very importantly, without being disqualified as a group, from the moment that not only immigrants would be represented, but also both sides of the internal debate, since Democrats and Republicans do not seem to want to directly negotiate minimum consensus among themselves. A proposal made to the country by Latino organizations and representatives could fill that void.
The presence of Latinos of different sensibilities would also give a voice to the majority of immigrants, legal or illegal, who are great supporters of the very idea that the United States and its institutions represent. If the Latino community is able to unite and overcome its internal differences behind this issue, it can go up another step by contributing a project of national interest to the US, by proposing an agreement that has been elusive for legal, safe and orderly immigration.
If achieved, there could be a very important addition to the whole of Latin America and the Caribbean, a permanent presence of the region, governments and countries, in the US political process, not with distant issues, but with issues as central to politicians as his re-election or election, an aspect accepted as legitimate in the US system, and used by many countries, for example, Ireland, Greece, Israel and others.
At a time when the USA does not seem to have an interest in the region on issues other than drugs and where the South has also distanced itself from Washington, there would be an opportunity to order itself on issues that have to do with dictatorships, abuses, corruption or organized crime in favor of common interests of justice, defense of democracy, human rights, and the fight against impunity.
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