Caribbean groups back new Congress after Democratic wins

Caribbean immigration advocates and labor leaders viewed the November 3 election results as a direct rejection of current federal policies. Democrats gained control of both chambers of Congress in a sweep that included deep Republican territories. Leaders in New York City, home to large Caribbean populations, framed the outcome as a mandate for change in Albany and Washington.

Natalia Aristizabal, co-executive director of Make the Road New York, said voters sent a clear message. She argued the government must become responsive to immigrants, working-class families, and Black and brown communities. Aristizabal stated that New York now has a mandate for progressive policies that make tangible differences in people’s lives. Her group plans to continue working with state officials to deliver solutions.

Aristizabal emphasized the need to invest in childcare, healthcare, schools, and housing. She called for the ultra-wealthy and corporations to pay their fair share in taxes. The group also aims to expand protections for immigrant New Yorkers. She said members should never fear that loved ones may be abducted on their way to work. Her organization reported knocking on nearly 10,000 doors and training hundreds in election protection this season.

The group plans to take to the streets in Manhattan on November 7. Aristizabal said the goal is to ensure all votes are counted and winners are seated. She noted that the federal administration is trying to decide futures for voters. She said her group will monitor the count and demand that leaders in power obey the will of the people.

Yvonne Armstrong, president of 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East, called the result a win for working people. She described the stakes as personal for frontline healthcare workers. Armstrong said her members volunteered countless hours in key congressional districts in New York, New Jersey, and along the East Coast. She said drastic funding cuts and political stunts by the Trump administration hurt union members in hospitals and nursing homes.

Armstrong cited patients losing insurance and facilities threatened with closure. She said Temporary Protected Status for Haitians was ripped away from colleagues. She also noted that ICE agents stormed into communities, terrorizing neighbors. Armstrong said the group organized to elect leaders who share a vision of affordable care and dignity for the elderly. She said the group rejected a government driven by greed rather than the needs of working families.

Democrat Hakeem Jeffries easily won re-election in New York's 8th Congressional District. The Associated Press called the race with 88% of precincts reporting. Jeffries secured 128,197 votes, or 78.94%, against Republican Lewis Mizrahi’s 31,969 votes, or 19.68%. There were 2,238 write-in votes, accounting for 1.38% of the total. Jeffries is poised to become the first Black Speaker of the US House of Representatives.

Jeffries told supporters in Washington, D.C., that the group will fight to make the country affordable for every American. He called the election a change election. He said House Democrats need to deliver dramatic change because things are broken. He stated the new Congress must put the American people first.