President Joe Biden is working on securing support among key voters crucial for his reelection bid by engaging with members of a Latino civil rights organization in the state of Nevada. He is scheduled to speak at the UnidosUS annual conference in Las Vegas, where he will announce a new program allowing certain U.S. citizens’ spouses without legal status to apply for permanent residency and potential citizenship without leaving the country. This initiative, anticipated to affect hundreds of thousands of immigrants, was initially introduced by Biden last month.
During his address, Biden plans to highlight the near-record low unemployment rate among Latinos, increased health insurance coverage within the community, and the doubling of Small Business Administration loans to Latino business owners since 2020 by the federal government. Biden’s engagement with Latino activists coincides with the Republican national convention in Milwaukee and amidst challenges faced by his reelection campaign following a disappointing debate against Donald Trump and a recent failed assassination attempt on Trump.
Biden is aiming to maintain robust support from Black and Latino voters, essential constituents in his successful 2020 election coalition, to secure another term in the White House. Recent polls show a decline in favorable opinions of Biden among Hispanic Americans compared to the beginning of his term. Despite these challenges, Biden remains confident in his ability to energize voters and is counting on their increased focus on the election post-Labor Day.
The UnidosUS conference serves as a platform for Biden to showcase his immigration policies and draw distinctions with Trump’s approaches. Biden’s administration recently unveiled a plan to grant a pathway to citizenship for certain undocumented immigrants and is also working on initiatives to advance opportunities in Hispanic-Serving Institutions, colleges with significant Hispanic student populations nationwide. Biden’s efforts come in the wake of legal challenges against his administration’s directives on border control and asylum claims.
