The Latino community is concerned about the actions that former President Donald Trump would take if he were the new president of the United States, as he has shared his ideals against the migrant, LGBTQ+, women and society in general communities. Citizens are joining the discourse of community unity to prevent Donald Trump from harming communities.
Migrant families are at risk, as there was already an atmosphere of fear among families during Donald Trump's previous presidency, when thousands of children suffered separation from their parents, as Manuel Ortiz commented during the radio program Por la Libre.
Alicia Aguirre, a Redwood City Council member and professor at Cañada College, explained that the most important thing that can be done to take care of the community is to go out and exercise the power of the vote, so that the risks that are about to be faced do not reach people's homes.
"We have to vote so that we have more opportunities for our children, health opportunities, school benefits and more, because we make that difference. We cannot sit back and say that nothing happens if we do not vote or help and support people who can vote," Aguirre said.
The Redwood City Councilwoman says that the Latino community is very powerful and has a lot to contribute, so they should not let anyone tell them otherwise or that they cannot do it.
"We run a very big risk of having a person who would be a dictator, an anarchist who is threatening to kick all immigrants out of this country, they are scaring us and making people act against themselves."
Belinda Hernández Arriaga, founder and executive director of ALAS, explained that during Trump's term in office she had many cases of psychological trauma in children and young people who feared being deported or their families. Reliving these times again generates a trauma that seemed to be in the past.
"It makes me so sad because during the time he was in the office and I was a psychologist, Trump's name caused me trauma because I heard it in the community, with children, young people and adults, it was a trauma that was happening because of the hate speech he generated," Hernández explained.
She experienced first-hand the damage caused by Trump, creating a story that will help understand how difficult that process was. "Eight years ago I saw what fear was like, the fear that families were experiencing, children being put in the kennel or in the detention cage, I have drawings that the children drew of the cages, you can't imagine the psychological impact that they are still experiencing," concluded the psychologist.
Andrea Masnata is the communications director for Make the Road Nevada. She works to promote voting in the Latino community. She is dedicated to creating political power to benefit the Latino working community and minorities who need to be empowered.
Masnata says that Trump's racist speech is intended to divide the community, as he opts for fear and what is needed is to build a vision of hope for a better future.
"With Kamala Harris we have the option of having a home, she is offering us housing plans, plans for small businesses, also to be able to improve the health system, the issue of child care, she shows concern about the issues that concern people in order to be able to cover them and we see that on the other side with Trump, the conversation is a clearly divisive issue within our own community, our neighbor, our friends," concluded Andrea Masnata.
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