From left, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) and Rep. Robert Garcia (D-California). (Screenshot/Getty Images)
Donald Trump’s presidency started with a bang, an explosion of executive orders meant to disrupt the fabric of the U.S. government at every level. During the first weeks, we heard little from the Democratic party about a strategy to fight against the new administration.
But two Latino Congress members have stood out: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) and Rep. Robert Garcia (D-California).
Ocasio-Cortez, or AOC, went live this week on Instagram (now available on YouTube) to describe in detail what Trump and Elon Musk are doing. According to AOC, one of their goals is to remove $2 trillion from Medicaid.
But besides pointing out the doom and gloom coming from Washington, she also listed ways that people can fight back.
At the local level in our communities, she said we should make sure that we know our rights, that other members of our community know their rights because that is the best option to fight against the deportations.
Chicago has shown a united front, making sure people know their rights and as a result, immigration officials have expressed their frustration at the low number of deportations they have been able to achieve, AOC said.
In Los Angeles, the mayor has not been as outspoken but there are city council members who have spoken out about creating more protections for vulnerable residents.
In Congress, AOC said Elise Stefanik’s seat is open due to her being nominated as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and people need to mobilize to get that seat.
“We need to go get them,” she said.
Even if a congressional seat seems lost, “do not say anything is impossible,” she said. “We gotta jiggle every door.”
Early on, Garcia said the Democrats needed to oppose Trump. “I think we have to oppose him vigorously. I think the idea that we’re talking about holding hands with Donald Trump and extremist Republicans and like, kumbaya, I think is a huge mistake,” said Garcia, as reported by the Washington Post.
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