As the U.S. honors Hispanic Heritage Month, some members of Congress are speaking out against President Donald Trump's treatment of Latinos in America.

Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas, 20th District), chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, released a statement on the ongoing challenges the community is currently facing.

"For almost four years, Latino communities from Puerto Rico to the U.S.-Mexico border have been under assault from a hostile and xenophobic administration that has separated families, abandoned those in need, and spread fear and hate," Castro said.

Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz,.7th District), first vice-chair of the caucus, echoed Castro's sentiments Tuesday on Cheddar, criticizing the president's response to hurricane devastation in Puerto Rico and his treatment of DACA recipients.

One of the most pressing issues in the U.S. is the coronavirus pandemic, which Castro noted hurts the Hispanic community especially.

"The coronavirus pandemic has disproportionately harmed the health and financial security of many Latino families," Castro wrote. "With disproportionately high rates of infections, hospitalizations, and death, as well as the highest rate of workers unable to work remotely, COVID-19 has been a catastrophe for the Latino community."

Gallego criticized Trump's "irresponsible actions as a leader" amid the pandemic. 

"Latinos have disproportionately, above any other demographic, paid the price because of COVID-19," Gallego said. "Because at the end of the day a lot of our people end up being essential workers of this country, and we couldn't social distance."

The CDC released new numbers Friday showing nearly half of all coronavirus-related deaths in people younger than 21 have been Hispanic.

"At the end of the day because we're a younger demographic to begin with, and we're also a middle-class and working-class demographic, we did not have the capability to shelter in place," Gallego said. "Plus the fact that many of us were uninsured to begin with or were underinsured and weren't able to take care of some of the underlying conditions that really give us as a community morbidities that made us more vulnerable to the coronavirus."

Share:
More In Culture
Union Petitions on the Rise at Big Companies Across U.S.
Herold Meyerson, Editor at Large of 'The American Prospect,' joined Closing Bell to discuss the recent uptick in unionization efforts across the U.S. and what it might mean for large corporations like Amazon and Starbucks, where workers are increasingly pushing to unionize.
How Warner Bros. Discovery Might Further Streaming as New Media Giant
Seth Schachner, a digital business executive and the managing director of the consultancy Strat Americas, joined Closing Bell to talk all about the mega-merger between WarnerMedia and Discovery, combining to form Warner Bros. Discovery (Nasdaq: WBD), and what it means for the streaming space going forward. “I think unlike some of the other mergers that you've seen out there. I think this one has actually got a real chance to be successful and to really further the cause of streaming," he said.
Academy Bans Will Smith From Oscars for 10 Years
Jason Nichols, senior lecturer in the African American Studies Department at the University of Maryland, joins Cheddar News to discuss the mixed reaction following the Academy banning Will Smith.
Need2Know: Russia-Ukraine War Update, Baby Formula Shortage & Lucky Charms
Catching you up on what you need to know on April 11, 2022, with updates on the Russia-Ukraine War, France’s presidential election, the record deforestation of the Amazon Rainforest, retail giant Amazon's objection to the Staten Island union vote, the worsening baby formula shortage, a lawsuit against Rutgers Law School, and a stomach illness possibly linked to Lucky Charms cereal.
Catching Up With Kate Walsh on 'Grey's Anatomy' Return, Speaking Bad French
Actor Kate Walsh spoke to Cheddar News about her return for a guest appearance on the long-running hit show "Grey's Anatomy. Along with her reacquainting herself with the role of Dr. Addison Montgomery, Walsh also discussed her work as Madeline on "Emily in Paris," and answered the question of what's more difficult: medical jargon or deliberately bad French.
Load More