Editor’s note: Every now and again, the fates conspire to create situations that are unexpected, shocking and challenging. The results of the 2016 presidential election are a perfect example. The protests each night in the nation’s cities since election day, never before seen after past contests, show that there is still much division in this land and that people with conviction in their hearts are refusing to go gentle into that good night. Around the nation many groups and leaders offer their perspectives highlighting the accomplishments made by the Latino community this election season, describe the challenges to come and also shine a light on the opportunities ahead. Here are their voices:
A Message from LULAC National President Roger C. Rocha, Jr.
First, let me begin by congratulating everyone on an outstanding job you did in getting out the vote. We began by turning out an unprecedented number of Latinos to go and participate in the Iowa caucuses and concluded with being a part of a tremendous movement that saw a surge of Latinos participating in the general election. It may not seem that important right now, but the mid-term elections are right around the corner and we must not let our strong Latino voter engagement momentum dissipate. More than any past election, the Latino voter surge has attracted the attention of both political parties, pundits and the media. Yet it is clear that to achieve the policy priorities of the Latino community, we must keep working on voter engagement. LULAC must continue to get out the vote in order for our voices to be heard.
Second, we must move past the general election and move forward with LULAC’s agenda for the Latino community…an agenda that has not changed. I know that there is trepidation, fear of deportation, anger and a sense of loss. Together, as one strong organization and one united community we can overcome the challenges we face. As members of this country’s greatest Latino civil rights organization, LULAC, we will lead by example and we will fight more than ever to ensure that we pass a fair immigration reform bill, work to preserve key elements of the Affordable Care Act, pass the Dream Act, expand our union to include Puerto Rico as the 51st State, create more good paying jobs, make college tuition affordable and so much more. We have requested a meeting with president-elect Donald Trump in order to sit down and inform him of our positions, get clarity on some of his positions and to begin a dialogue with him and his administration.
Our community is looking directly to LULAC for reassurance and assistance because we are a national grass roots organization based in the community. We have always been there for our people and we will continue to do so. This is what makes LULAC so unique. We are all leaders in our communities and it is time, now more than ever, that we stand up and lead. LULAC for 88 years has been that last line of defense against discrimination and injustice. YOU are the reason we are respected and admired in our communities. We all carry that proud legacy of standing up for our community and fighting for change.
I firmly believe that our finest hour is yet to come because the coming months will be a defining moment for our communities. We will remain focused on the task ahead and we will come through for our community as we always have. Never forget that we are one! We are LULAC! We are the difference makers!
— Roger C. Rocha, Jr., national president, League of United Latin American Citizens
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What got me out of bed this morning
Last night we took a hit. The President-Elect, Donald Trump, has proposed immigration policies that draw from the nativist playbook, promising to build a wall, deport millions, and close our doors to those in need of protection. His proposals are fundamentally at odds with the American Immigration Council’s vision of an America that honors our diversity and ingenuity and celebrates the fact that we are, and always will be, a nation of immigrants.
To say that we at the American Immigration Council are incredibly saddened and disappointed is an understatement. But, we have an important job to do, and we are ready to go. For nearly 30 years the Council has stood up for the facts and worked to achieve justice, transparency and fairness in the immigration laws, and we’re not about to let up now. We will continue to bring together partners who share our mission, and together, we will fight back.
The Council will stand up against unnecessary and inhumane enforcement actions that would divide families and hurt our economy. We will expose abuses, and we will go to court to protect the constitutional and legal rights of noncitizens and all individuals who cross our borders. This is what we know how to do, and you can count on us to be there.
I was inspired to come to work today because I know that the Council’s vision for a more welcoming and inclusive America, one where all individuals are treated with respect and fairness, no matter where they were born or how they arrived in this country, is worth fighting for.
This election was not a referendum on immigration and the fact remains that the American public overwhelmingly supports updating our immigration system. Our nation needs a practical and efficient system that honors immigrants’ contributions, fuels our economy, protects families, and benefits all Americans.
Please join us in working towards this reality.
— Beth Werlin, executive director, American Immigration Council
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Petra Falcon statement on Trump win
“The news that Mr. Trump will become the 45th president of the United States is a grave disappointment, particularly given the often inflammatory, destructive and demeaning comments he has made about those he regarded as his political and ideological opponents over the course of his campaign. The people of our great democracy, however, have spoken and the outcome of this election must be respected. Of that there is no question. Moving forward, we remain committed to pursuing a compassionate agenda that includes protecting the civil and human rights of all Arizonans, all Americans, including the immigrant families who have helped our nation grow and prosper.
“Our mission will not change. In the coming months and years, we remain committed to the empowerment of our communities in pursuit of social, economic and political justice. Among the historic achievements of this election has been the awakening of our Latino electorate, which turned out in unprecedented numbers here and across the country. As a result, no sitting or prospective candidate for public office will be able to run a campaign without considering its impact on the Latino community.
“In the coming months and years, our top priorities will remain the passage and implementation of comprehensive immigration reform that keeps families together and acknowledges and respects the profound contributions they have made to our proud nation. Above all, we will remain steadfast in our mission to work tirelessly to ensure that all people, all communities, are treated with respect and dignity.”
— Petra Falcon, executive director, Promise Arizona in Action
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MALDEF statement on the 2016 Presidential election
“Despite record-breaking turnout from the Latino electorate yesterday, the electoral college will select in January a president who received minimal levels of support from the Latino community. President-elect Donald Trump built his campaign around thinly-veiled anti-immigrant and anti-Latino appeals, with the predictable result that the Latino vote was decisive in several states, such as Colorado, Nevada, and New Mexico. Nonetheless, and despite losing the popular vote, Donald Trump will be the president beginning in January.
MALDEF hopes and expects that the President-elect will adopt different rhetoric and pursue different policies, particularly in critical areas like immigration, than he espoused in his campaign. To begin, he must unequivocally disavow any role for the people or polices of the alt-right in governance. MALDEF calls upon the President-elect to publicly reject the alt-right narratives of racism, exclusion, and misogyny as he begins planning his administration.
We also call upon the President-elect to revisit and revise his articulated immigration policy proposals. As a businessperson, Trump should readily understand that mass removals — particularly of the millions who are daily contributing their knowledge and hard work to our economy and to raising United States citizen children — are bad economic and security policy. We recall that one of most conservative previous presidents, Ronald Reagan, signed the Immigration Reform and Control Act, granting protection to millions of undocumented immigrants contributing to the country and economy in the 1980s. We urge and expect Donald Trump to govern more in that mode than what his campaign might otherwise have indicated.
A failure to adopt more well-informed and appropriate policies would not only harm the best policy interests of the nation, it would be bad politics. True to pattern, political pundits in the media will likely spend the next several weeks predicting the past instead of recognizing the political future. The fact is that this is the last time any president will be elected or re-elected with such minimal levels of support in the Latino community. Yesterday’s result will energize Latinos across the nation to naturalize, register, and vote, replicating nationwide what occurred in California two decades ago. This energizing, coupled with the demographic growth of the Latino community, mean that the tectonic shift of the nation’s political future will be the brown belt, not the rust belt.
Latinos have always been a central contributor to American progress, and the Latino community — today representing one in four of all public school students nationwide — will play an even bigger role in making the United States continue to thrive in the future. Latinos are thus an essential part of the nation that President-elect Trump will govern, and we hope and expect that he will support the Latino community in its critical role.
Throughout the remainder of the current Administration and the Trump Administration, MALDEF will continue to play its critical role in protecting and defending the Constitution and the rights of all Latinos living in the United States against undue excesses and discriminatory practices by any level of government or by private actors.”
— Thomas A. Saenz, president and general council, MALDEF
Other related stories:
- LULAC Encouraged by Strong Latino Voter Turnout in 2016 Elections
- New York Times — Catherine Cortez Masto Wins Nevada to Become First Latina Senator
- NBC News — Latino leaders: Trump did not win 29 percent of Hispanic vote
- The Washington Post — In record numbers, Latinos voted overwhelmingly against Trump. We did the research
- The Channels — Salud Carbajal wins congress, replaces long-leading Lois Capps