The reality sums up to the fact that, in a way, each side is voting against the candidate they deem as ‘bad’ rather than voting for a candidate simply because they strongly believe in their political agenda. In this aspect, polls suggest, they act like the majority of Americans.
The question then remains: which candidate is more convenient for Venezuelan-Americans? Including those who are naturalized citizens and residents waiting to obtain their citizenship?
Venezuelan’s diversity
It is utterly impossible to answer this question without first considering that Venezuelans, like the rest of all Latin Americans that migrate to the US, represent multiple socioeconomic classes, ancestries, and identities. Uncontrollably, they hold diverse views about the priorities of a country’s government, even if they all suffer for Venezuela.
The motivations of Venezuelan-American voters are just as complex and intricate as the rest of the Latinx population in the United States. In addition to the ‘standard’ topics relevant for Latinxs -immigration policy, racial justice, education, health care, and job opportunities- Venezuelans place huge importance on the diplomatic relations between the newly elected president and Nicolas Maduro.
Anabella Morabito, a 28-year-old Venezuelan-American who studies education at Harvard, puts it simply, “Historically, U.S intervention in Latin America has been messy. I think the U.S has a huge influence on the [Latin American] region, but the Maduro presidency requires a multi-faceted, scaffolded approach to dismantle. It’s not just a matter of getting rid of Maduro.”
She migrated from Venezuela at the age of eight. And, although she considers her family background as being upper-middle-class, she recognizes, “I think there is absolutely a problem of classism in Venezuela, and once you exit that environment, you become self-aware, and you think critically and begin to understand how this problem amplifies Maduro’s populism [and his persistent stay in power].”
Mariela López, a 24-year-old Venezuelan immigrant and DREAMer who works as a clinical research coordinator, voices her opinion on a second Republican term, “He [Trump] makes a lot of false promises, and when he tries to follow through, there is no plan to fall back on.” She continues by saying, “When he tried to get rid of the DREAM Act, he did so without having anything ready in place.”
However, there are Venezuelan-Americans who, although have migrated more recently and have directly experienced corruption, energy and food shortages, hyperinflation, and violent crime under Maduro’s government, view the situation differently.
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Oriana Fuentes | Radio Free (2020-11-03T08:15:47+00:00) US Venezuelans: for Biden or Trump?. Retrieved from https://www.radiofree.org/2020/11/03/us-venezuelans-for-biden-or-trump/
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