Pete Buttigieg Announces Plan to Secure A New Era for the Latino Community

SOUTH BEND, IN — Today, Pete Buttigieg announced ‘El Pueblo Unido/A People United: A New Era for Latinos,’ a comprehensive policy that lays out Pete’s detailed approach to invest in the Latino community and break down the structural barriers that often prevent Latinos from accessing equal economic and educational opportunities, building wealth, and feeling a sense of belonging in this country. 

“The Latino community is an integral force in pushing our nation toward achieving inclusive, progressive ideals. In so many ways, members of the Latino community uphold and embody the values that make us American,” said Buttigieg. “Despite these contributions, Latinos have been subjected to relentless and bigoted attacks by this President and his administration. Whether it is the disenfranchisement of the people of Puerto Rico or Latino neighborhoods denied access to clean air and water, Latinos in the United States have been burdened for too long by a legacy of systemic discrimination. As President, I will put an end to this administration’s discriminatory policies and work to dismantle the institutional barriers that have denied Latinos the opportunity to belong in their country.”

A Buttigieg administration will tackle inequities in access to health care, safe drinking water, clean air, affordable housing, justice, and economic opportunity with policies that:

• Invest in Latino-owned businesses and Latino entrepreneurs, including by investing up to $10 billion in federal capital to establish a fund for underrepresented entrepreneurs.
• Expand access to affordable housing, including building 2 million new affordable housing units for people with low incomes. 
• Combat predatory evictions and housing financing practices. Achieve housing equity by preventing evictions and combating predatory housing finance practices, which disproportionately affect Latinos. 
• Provide safe drinking water for all. Water systems with the highest concentrations of pollutants like nitrates tend to be those serving Latino communities. To deliver safe drinking water, Pete will add $10 billion to the Safe Drinking Water State Revolving Fund and offer $5 billion in grants through his American Clean Energy Bank to help urban and rural communities make critical infrastructure upgrades while keeping water affordable. He will work with states to identify the most water-insecure communities and prioritize them for grant funding.
• Create a path to citizenship for the approximately 11 million undocumented people living in the United States who call this country home, and accelerate reunification of families. 
• Expand access to the ballot, combat voter suppression, and make right any harms caused by a politicized Census count. 
• Lower the cost of college and increase completion rates, especially for first-generation college students. Ensure high school students can get on a path to college early by notifying those with Pell Grant eligibility starting in 9th grade and completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for most students. This will help close a huge gap in college access for high school students from lower-income families. 
• Expand worker protections for gig workers, farm workers, and domestic workers—all disproportionately Latino—and guarantee them labor rights, including unionization. 
• Support Latino culture, including by supporting the establishment of a national museum of the American Latino, and expand the representation of Latino people and history in our National Parks System. 

Pete’s plan will ensure that the Latino community can continue to contribute, thrive, and feel like they fully belong in this country. 

Read his full plan to invest in a New Era for Latinos HERE.