Latino voters have for too long been "treated as an afterthought", with many organizers and campaigns often failing to deliver on their promises to the community, according to Arizona congressman Raúl Grijalva.

Grijalva - a Mexican-American who has served as a member of the House of Representatives since 2003 - represents Arizona's 3rd congressional district, which includes the western third of the city of Tucson, some peripheral parts of the metropolitan Phoenix area, as well as part of Yuma and Nogales. The district borders Mexico from Nogales to the California border.

In an exclusive interview with LPO, Grijalva - who is a long-standing member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus - noted that he believes Latino voters have largely been treated as "an afterthought" in US politics.

Arizona Attorney-General calls on governor to declare border state of emergency

"Organizers and campaigns with minimal ties to Arizona come around every two or four years for votes, but fail to deliver on any promises for the community or engage with them outside of election cycles," Grijalva said in response to questions from LPO.

"When they do engage with them - if at all - their engagement strategies revolve around stereotypical assumptions that Latinos only care about immigration," he added. "This is wrong."

Following the 2020 presidential election, however, political commentators noted that engagement efforts with the Latino community in Arizona were crucial in helping the state swing away from the Republican Party for the first time since 1996. The state is more than 30% Latino - the fourth largest Hispanic statewide population share nationally. 

Organizers and campaigns with minimal ties to Arizona come around every two or four years for votes, but fail to deliver on any promises for the community or engage with them outside of election cycles

"In Arizona, we have treated Latinos as critical partners in our community and our democracy," Grijalva said. "We must engage with them on the issues that matter most to them. Healthcare, jobs, education, and the environment are Latino issues too."

According to Grijalva, these efforts also stem from a "sheer necessity" to push back against policies that have disproportionate impact on Latinos.

Does the role of 'border czar' leave Kamala Harris vulnerable politically?

"So many community organizations in our state have emerged and become strong and nationally-recognized forces. These community-based groups understand the power of educating the general electorate and the importance of coalescing and working on issues that have multiple angles," he said. "They have critical insight into the community because they are part of that community."

Border Issues

During the Trump administration, Grijalva was an outspoken critic of the proposed border wall along the Mexican border. Since then, he has continued to be critical of efforts to militarize the border region. This has long been a key issue in Grijalva's district. As recently as late April, Arizona Governor announced plans to send 250 National Guard troops to the border to help stop the flow of migrants. 

In Arizona, we have treated Latinos as critical partners in our community and our democracy

These military deployments, Grijalva explained, have a significant impact on day-to-day life in many communities near Arizona's border with the Mexican state of Sonora.

"Small border towns like Nogales, Ajo and San Luis are not equipped to deal with massive amounts of soldiers and military equipment rolling through their streets when the threats along the border never rise to that level of response," he said. "My constituents constantly deal with a heavy military presence and vehicle checkpoints to complete the most mundane daily tasks."

As an example, Grijalva points to the city of Nogales, which shares a border with the larger city of Nogales, Sonora. There, he explained, a previous military deployment on the US side of the border saw large stretches of concertina wire, endangering pedestrians, children, and even animals that wandered too close.

"I wish that people who did not live along the border - or have even traveled to the border - would listen to the voices of those of us who call the border home when making policies that impact our lives," Grijalva said.

At the end of April, Grijalva sent a letter to President Joe Biden calling for a formal end to border wall construction, funding to restore land damaged by border wall construction, and designation of more funds for non-profits, cities and counties to help with the recent surge of migrants.

"Make no mistake, the surge is not simply a result of Biden becoming President, but the consequences of years of Trump Administration immigration policies that created backlogs, dehumanized asylum-seekers, and gutted existing processes," he said. "Designating funds to those entities with the proven track record of assisting asylum-seekers and helping navigate the asylum process is a much more efficient use of taxpayer funds than what we spend on immigrant detention. This should be the heart of border management, not more troops, guns, and wall."

AP

Grijalva also said he has so far been satisfied with the level of transparency from the White House regarding its efforts at the border and that it is doing its best to reverse "the most damaging" Trump-era border policies, although he said it is "unacceptable" that children be held for longer than 72 hours in Border Patrol stations or other facilities. 

At the end of April, Grijalva sent a letter to President Joe Biden calling for a formal end to border wall construction, funding to restore land damaged by border wall construction, and designation of more funds for non-profits, cities and counties to help with the recent surge of migrants.

While issues continue to persist and they have a long way to go, the Biden Administration is transparent with their plans and is operating with the empathy and compassion never seen from anyone in the Trump Administration regarding the border.

January 6

In January, Grijalva was on Capitol Hill during when hundreds of Trump supporters attempted to overturn the results of the November election by disrupting a joint session of Congress assembled to count electoral votes and formalize Biden's victory.

In the aftermath of the attempted insurrection - which Grijalva maintains was conducted by ‘domestic terrorists' - Grijalva was harshly critical of Republican members of Arizona's congressional delegation. Three of the Republican lawmakers - Paul Gosar, Andy Biggs, and Debbie Lesko - voted to reject their state's electoral college votes, despite no evidence of election fraud. Only one, David Schweikert, voted against it.

Later in January, Grijalva asked that House Minority leader Kevin McCarthy suspended Paul Gosar's committee assignments until his role in the events of January 6 were fully investigated.

"Unfortunately, some of Arizona's most extremist right-wing members of our congressional delegation played a role in perpetuating the false narrative of a stolen election that led to the violent insurrection," he said.

While Grijalva said that he will continue to work across party lines in the interest of Arizona's residents, he believes those whose actions played a role in the event of January 6 must be held responsible.

Kamala Harris comes under fire as problems mount on Mexican border

"The perpetrators of this big lie have yet to be held accountable for their actions. I will work with my colleagues when it makes sense to work together for the benefit of Arizonans, but firmly believe that they must face consequences for their actions," he added. "Without accountability, there is no chance of unity."

Covid-19 recovery

In the short-term, however, Grijalva said his immediate concern was in helping the US recover from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, which he said "exposed the shortcomings of our country."

"While the pandemic is thankfully on the decline, it will take strong federal action to get people back to work, help our students make up for lost time in the classroom, and keep people in their homes once the eviction moratorium expires," he said.

"Communities of color were disproportionately impacted by the pandemic and the ensuing business closures," he added. "We must look beyond band-aid solutions and pass bold policies that invest in our families and workers so they can bounce back from the pandemic stronger than before."