For our country to continue to succeed, we have to make sure that Latinos are fully dealt in on the American Dream.

The Latino community is absolutely vital to the future of our country. Latino-owned small businesses help drive our economic vitality, Latino families anchor communities all across the United States, and essential workers, so many of whom are Latino, have kept our country going through this pandemic.

As a nation, we depend on Latinos; and if I am elected president, Latinos will be able to depend on me.

This election will decide our futures for a very long time. The character of our country, our democratic freedoms, and our values as a nation of immigrants are all on the ballot this year. The Latino community can’t afford another four years of Donald Trump stoking the fires of hate and division in our country; four more years of Trump policies that favor the wealthy and well-connected over hard work; four more years of a president who won’t do anything to break the cycle that leaves Latino communities disproportionately vulnerable to health and economic threats.

I believe that for our country to continue to succeed, we have to make sure that Latinos are fully dealt in on the American Dream.

That starts by finally doing the hard work to beat this pandemic, protect our families, and safely get our lives back. Starting from day one, I’ll follow the science and listen to the experts. I’ll make sure our frontline workers and essential workers have the personal protective equipment they need to stay safe on the job. I’ll make sure schools and businesses have the guidance and the support they need to reopen safely. And I’ll make sure that, when we do have a safe and effective vaccine available, it’s available to everyone, free of charge.

Donald Trump knew how deadly this virus was in January and did nothing. Now, nine months in, he still has no plan. Instead, he’s in court trying to repeal the entire Affordable Care Act (ACA) and strip 20 million people of their health insurance in the middle of a pandemic. Four million Latinos gained health coverage under the ACA, more than any other group of Americans, but now they could lose it overnight if Donald Trump gets his way. I’ll fight to protect the ACA and build on it to lower health insurance and prescription drug costs, and increase access by adding a Medicare like public option.

Donald Trump’s failed leadership has cost lives, more than 45,000 Latinos have died from Covid, and tanked our economy – and the longer he’s president, the longer it’ll take to get it fully running again. But these crises have also opened the eyes of people all across the country to the deadly inequities that have left Latinos so much harder hit by COVID-19. We’re seeing clearly that we can’t just aim to get back to where we were before the pandemic, we have to build back better – creating millions of good-paying jobs for the future in the process.

My plan won’t raise taxes on anyone making less than $400,000 a year. But I’ll make sure big corporations and the super wealthy finally pay their share and then use that money to invest in our public schools and to rebuild our roads and bridges. An independent economic analysis by one Wall Street firm said that my plan will create 7 million more jobs than Trump’s plan would, and generate $1 trillion more in economic growth.

I’ll make it easier for Latino small businesses to access capital and credit, so they finally have a fair shot to succeed. I’ll fight to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour and make sure Latino workers have safe workplaces. I’ll help Latino families to buy a first home, afford child care, and care for aging loved ones.

I was raised in a Catholic household, where I learned that faith and family are everything. That’s what’s always guided me, and that’s why I’m running for President today – to fight for everyone, no matter who they are, or where their families come from. I believe in respect for our service members and veterans, not degrading them as “suckers” and “losers,” or deporting people who have served in this country’s uniform. I believe in an America that gives hate no safe harbor and treats everyone with the respect they deserve.

That’s why I’ll make sure Puerto Ricans are never again treated as second-class citizens – and I’ll deliver not just overdue disaster relief, but a full plan for recovery and renewal on the island.

As president, I’ll take immediate action to restore DACA and protect Dreamers and their families. I’ll send to Congress a bill that will provide a roadmap to citizenship, not only for Dreamers, but for the 11 million undocumented immigrants who are living in and enriching our country every day. And, I’ll offer immediate relief to Temporary Protected Status holders threatened by the Trump administration’s efforts to terminate TPS.

I’ll end Trump’s inhumane border policies and keep families together, restoring our promise as a nation of immigrants. It is a stain on the moral character of our nation that Donald Trump’s Administration ripped children from their parents’ arms as part of his cruel “zero-tolerance” policy. Even more outrageous is knowing that, years later, there are 545 children who are still separated because their parents cannot be found. On day one of my administration, I will stand up a federal task force dedicated to reuniting those children and their parents and ensuring nothing like this can ever again happen in the United States of America.

While Donald Trump cozies up to autocrats and dictators around the world, and attacks our democracy here at home, I’ve fought against dictators my entire career--on the left and the right. I’ll stand strong for human rights and democracy in places like Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua. I’ll demand the release of political prisoners, just as I did as Vice President, and seek to empower the people of the region. I’ll engage our partners across Latin America and the Caribbean with respect, not bullying and threats, to take on the shared challenges we face, including fighting climate change and ending this pandemic. And while Donald Trump has deported thousands of Cubans and Venezulans back to ruthless dictatorships – I’ll make sure asylum seekers receive a fair hearing and grant TPS to Venezulans fleeing the oppressive Maduro regime.

Latinos are the core of our American story. And you have it in your power to not only decide this election in just a few days – but to determine the future of our country, as a place of opportunity and new beginnings. A place made strong by generations of immigrants, and a place where everyone has a voice and every vote counts.

As president, I’ll lead on these issues, but more important, I’ll listen. My Administration will reflect the full diversity of our country, including the Latino community. So please make your voice heard – vote. Go to IWillVote.com for information so we can start building that stronger, more inclusive future for all our families right now.