Despite advances, Latino rights group says 'much needs to be done' by Biden
When the administration of Joe Biden has made notable advances with regards to the priorities of Latino voters, "much work needs to be done" to fulfill his promises to the community, according to a new report from the largest Latino civil rights organization in the United States.
According to the report from UnidosUS - which was formerly known as the National Council of La Raza - the most notable step was the American Rescue Plan, a $1.9 trillion economic stimulus bill passed by Congress and signed into law by Biden on March 11.
The report noted that the plan "will help millions of Latinos get vaccinated, work and go to school safely, pay their bills, keep a roof over their head, and feed themselves and their children."
"The Biden administration promised a lot to Latino voters - who turned out in record numbers and made a difference in several key states - and they started delivering on those promises on day one," said UnidosUS President and CEO Janet Murguía.
Murguía noted that, so far, the Biden administration has had the largest number of first term Latino cabinet members, signed executive actions to restore DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) and TPS (Temporary Protected Status) and placed a focus on "racial equity throughout the federal government."
The report, however, laid out a number of concerns in which UnidosUS believes further action is required.
The most important of these revolves around the equitable distribution of the American Rescue Plan to ensure that it includes, and responds to, the needs of Latino communities across the country.
"For Latinos, this means investing in a national plan and mobilizing all of the government's resources to remove loentrenched obstacles that often prevent Hispanic families from accessing the health and economic supports for which they qualify," the report noted.
In the past, there have been concerns that many Latinos in the US do not take full advantage of government resources available to then, partly due to disinformation, fear of government, a reluctance to accept government handouts and insufficient culturally competent communications strategies.
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While the report noted that the White House's response to mitigating the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the Latino community - such as by making vaccines free, regardless of immigration or health insurance status - there remain significant gaps in terms of collecting accurate data that can be used to measure progress.
"The complete and accurate collection and dissemination of race and ethnicity data [is needed] so we can measure progress and address equity gaps in testing and vaccines," the report said. "This must include state-level demographic data."
Additionally, the report noted that while considerable investments have been made to health centers, certain localities and municipalities, health departments, universities and national organizations, "many more community-based organizations in communities hardest hit by Covid-19 need additional direct funding to support outreach and ensure that culturally responsive and linguistically appropriate information about testing and vaccines reaches every member of the community."
Data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that race and ethnicity was known for approximately 55% of all adults who had received the vaccine, of whom only 11% were Latino, compared to 65% white.
To hold the Biden administration accountable, UnidosUS has launched a ‘Latino Inclusion Tracker' to monitor administration actions regarding Covid-19, economic relief, education, racial equity, government appointments and other matters.
"The administration is promising but it is just that: the beginning. In the coming months, for example, the administration needs to address inequities in the distribution of vaccines, the continued exclusion of mixed status families from some critical safety net programs, and the urgent need to provide immigration relief for millions, including essential workers," Murguía said.
While the report also praised the Biden administration for a number of immigration-related steps, it noted that for illegal immigrants, "the future is tenuous".
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"Legalization of the undocumented would be a good return on the investment: the households pay $79.7 billion in federal tax contributions and $41 billion in state and local tax contributions, which help to fund public schools, infrastructure repairs for roads and bridges, and the military," the report said.
UnidosUS is considered the largest Latino rights organization in the US, with more than 300 affiliated community-based organizations across the US and Puerto Rico.