00:00And as we were saying, we are just hours away from millions of US citizens heading to the
00:05polls in the mid-term elections.
00:07The results could become a major test of Donald Trump's presidency.
00:11With growing concerns over the cost of living, immigration enforcement, cups to social programs,
00:16and the administration's foreign policy, voters are preparing to weigh in on the direction
00:22of the country.
00:23Beyond the battle for control of Congress, these elections could reshape the political
00:27balance in Washington for the next two years.
00:30To discuss these issues and take a closer look at what lies ahead, we are joined by Kenia
00:36Alcazar from Union de Vecinos in Los Angeles.
00:39Welcome Kenia.
00:41Hi, thank you for having me.
00:44Okay, our fourth question will be, with Republicans defending their congressional majorities and
00:49Trump facing historically low approval ratings ahead of the mid-term elections, to what extent
00:55have these elections become a referendum in his second term?
01:01Well, I think that people are very upset with the way that things are going currently in
01:10the country.
01:11We're talking about different crises.
01:13We have an immigration crisis, where there is this Gestapo organization that is going
01:23on the streets, not just kidnapping people, but actually killing people.
01:27And then you have our basic needs becoming more and more expensive.
01:36Gas prices in Los Angeles right now are skyrocketing.
01:39We're talking about $7 a gallon right now here in Los Angeles.
01:46And the cost of living, I mean, things that used to be a lot cheaper because of this tariffs, wars
01:54that he's gone in a frenzy on.
02:00There's a lot of things, basic necessity things that have become very, very expensive, and that
02:06people can no longer afford.
02:08So we do have an economic crisis, and then we have a political crisis where people are
02:16also very displeased with a lot of the way that a lot of the international politics are
02:22going with this war with Iran.
02:25People here have been also organizing and heavily organizing against the genocide in Gaza and all
02:36of this funding that it's going towards Israel, where there's little to no funding coming to
02:42the communities.
02:44And that is something that people are also looking into.
02:48Like, people are being more observant and becoming more aware that the things that are happening
02:55are actually really bad for them and for the country.
03:00And I think that in these midterm elections, one of the things that we're also seeing is that
03:05people that were Trump supporters that believed that he was not going to get us into any wars,
03:11that prices were going to come down and are seeing a complete opposite, are also very disappointed in
03:20voting against him in these elections, as we're seeing in Texas and other states that are
03:27highly Republican states that are turning a tie.
03:31And then the one thing that I think that people were not expecting, but that it's something that
03:37it's becoming more and more real, it's the fact that youth, especially children of immigrant
03:45parents are exercising their votes for the first time in high quantities, because even though at
03:53some points people don't believe in that voting actually makes a difference, they now understand
03:58that their vote is critical to ensure that their parents are safe and are no longer being attacked by
04:05this administration. Mrs. Alcazar, Trump's immigration agenda has been defined by tough border controls
04:13and expanded deportation operations amid abuses and growing controversy over federal enforcement
04:20practices. Could these policies become an electoral liability for Republicans?
04:27I believe so. I think that there's a lot of youth that are seeing this
04:30as a fascist move from this administration's part, like utilizing this military force, because that's
04:44what it looks like, to actually attack communities. And one of the things that they really made a huge
04:51mistake on, it's not just that they've killed and attacked immigrants, but they've also killed and
05:00attacked U.S. citizens. A lot of U.S. citizens have been detained by this administration without any type of
05:10due process. And then you have Alex Preddy and Renee Nicole Goode, who are two U.S. citizens, two white
05:19U.S.
05:20citizens that were killed by the ICE agents. So I think that there is this sense of
05:28the sense of justice that communities are looking for. And I think that there's a lot of young folks that
05:35are also looking at this as an opportunity to really fortify and build their votes against this.
05:44And I also think that there's also huge examples internationally that are giving hope to a lot of
05:52our youth, looking at the elections in Brazil, looking at the movements that are happening in Europe.
05:59I think that that's something that people are also looking towards to see that there is a possible change
06:07in the way that that this administration, it's really pushing a very bad agenda in this country,
06:18especially for the safety and well-being of all of its citizens.
06:24So if Democrats managed to regain control of the House of Representatives or the Senate,
06:31they could significantly increase congressional oversight of Trump's administration and challenge key elements
06:37of his agenda. Could these elections reshape the balance of power in Washington? And what would a
06:47change in the next two years? Well, we sure hope so. I think that one of the things that we've
06:54been
06:54also having conversations around is the fact that the Democratic Party has been weak in addressing some
07:03of these things in the past. When it comes to immigration reform or even cost of living and community
07:13support, I think that that's something that we've been very concerned. But then you have these new folks
07:18that are coming out talking about universal health care and other things that are that are possible.
07:27And I'm trying to really push for things that I think are in the interest of most working class Americans.
07:36And I think that that is a positive. I feel like that it's something that we're hoping that once they
07:42do
07:44get into power, that they actually do and work on what they say that they're going to be doing and
07:50working on.
07:52Unfortunately, we've also always seen that when the Democrats are in power, they don't necessarily
07:59keep their promises. So we're trying to figure out what is the best way of keeping
08:05all of these legislators accountable to what they're saying right now. And I believe that they
08:11might just because there needs to be a huge push against the Trump administration at this point.
08:19But we're hoping that they do do so. So that is something that we're looking at. But we're also
08:25figuring out and thinking of like, what are the different alternatives? And who are the new leadership
08:31in politics that it's growing and a lot of the young candidates is something that folks are really
08:40looking into and gravitating towards. Folks with new ideas, it's not the same Democratic Party or old
08:49establishment that people are used to. And I think that that's a good sign as well.
08:56Mrs. Alcazar, one final question. Beyond determining control of Congress,
09:01these elections could reshape Trump's political room for maneuver on the international stage.
09:06At a time of geopolitical tensions, trade disputes and growing questions about Washington's global
09:12leadership. What will a Republican setback mean for U.S. foreign policy? And what implications
09:18could the electoral outcome have for Washington's relations with Latin America?
09:24Well, we're really hoping that once we do this trip, that especially on global politics,
09:34that we start stepping back. I mean, one of the things that we keep seeing, it's the same
09:40politics that aren't helping our communities, that aren't bringing anything towards the working
09:47class people in the United States. And in reality, it's inflicting more pain and suffering around the
09:54world, which is something that we are truly hoping to also stop in a lot of these things. So I
10:02think that
10:03that's one of the things that we are hoping that this new wave concentrates its energy and power in
10:12stabilizing the country, especially with this economic crisis against this war in Iran, and that we can
10:23actually figure things out for people here instead of fighting wars and continuing to inflict sanctions
10:33or starving Cuba, for example. Those things are not something that we want to continue with, and that
10:42is something that we are hoping that this new administration, that this new House of Representatives,
10:49and this new Senate starts focusing more on supporting the communities here in the United States.
10:57And we are truly hoping that that could become the main focus of this new administration, especially in
11:05stopping ICE agents in continuing the killings and kidnappings of our communities, ensuring that we can lower gas
11:14prices and stop this tariff war that has garnered all of our basic necessities to become so expensive.
11:22Thank you, Mrs. Alcocel, for sharing your time and your insights with us.
