As if 2020 wasn’t already interesting enough, we have just begun the new year of 2021 with a bang. On January 6th, Trump supporters stormed Capitol Hill. This is a day that will definitely go down in history. The people who stormed Capitol Hill did not believe Biden had rightfully won the presidential election. Regardless of what you believe in regards to the claims of fraud during the election, there is no denying the fact that there was no solid evidence and nothing was proved. Biden therefore remained the winner. After what happened on January 6th, there was talk on whether Biden would have the inauguration outside like it is normally done, since there were so many security concerns. It is now well past the inauguration of President Biden and VP Harris and everything seems to have gone smoothly.
Many feel a huge feeling of relief now that Donald Trump is out of office, and I am personally one of those people. As a Mexican-American woman, I feel a lot better now that Biden is in office. Some of the biggest issues that I care about are immigration, women’s rights, systemic racism in the US, and the protection of the environment. Biden most closely aligns with my beliefs. Although Biden is now in office, we cannot let him cruise through his term without keeping the promises he has made. I know politicians have to make promises in order to gain support and votes, but it is frustrating when they do not keep their promises once they are in office. It is so important to continue to hold Biden and Harris accountable throughout these next four years. Obviously no one person is perfect, and so neither Biden or Harris are the perfect candidates for this position. There are many things both of these people have done in the past that do not align with their current beliefs. I am a firm believer that people can change and learn from their mistakes, but this does not mean that we should forget what they have done either.
One issue that President Biden has promised to change is the current immigration system. More specifically, Biden has promised a path to citizenship for Dreamers or DACA recipients. Recently, he announced a plan that would give immigrants an 8 year path to citizenship. Those who would be eligible, would be anyone who has lived in the US as of January 1st, 2021. The path to citizenship would be shorter for Dreamers. Biden has promised to reverse much of what was done under the Trump administration. Although this is a big step in the right direction, there is still much to be done. I cannot turn a blind eye and say Biden is the best President ever simply because of one thing he has done or because I myself am a Democrat. I also believe that is why we fail to hold people in power accountable. We must do our own research into what someone is doing and if they are keeping the promises they made. There are many promises Trump made that he did not follow through with, and yet his supporters remained happy and content with him. It is our responsibility that the same thing does not happen again. Let’s remain positive and hopeful that President Biden will fulfill his obligations as our leader, and that he will remain truthful to the promises he made. If it comes to the point where he did not fulfill his promises, it is our duty to hold him and VP Harris accountable.