THE ISSUES
VICHAL'S CORE AGENDA IS ROOTED IN TWO DECADES OF FRONTLINE WORK
RESHAPING SYSTEMS THAT FAIL WORKING PEOPLE
DISMANTLE ICE.
WE ARE A NATION OF IMMIGRANTS,
TERROR HAS NO PLACE IN OUR COMMUNITIES
ICE is a rogue agency acting outside the law without accountability, terrorizing our communities, and ripping families apart. ICE is symptomatic of a much broader systemic failure in our immigration policies. My work has shown me that our current immigration system is outdated, cruel, and inhumane. I fought this system and witnessed families being torn apart, communities devastated time and again, and Americans who have lived in NY for over 50 years be deported to countries they have never known. Witnessing these injustices and their human impact firsthand is what drives my work with individuals and service providers supporting noncitizens nationwide. ICE must be dismantled, the expansion of detention centers stopped, and the deportation machine halted. I will advocate for immigration policies that prioritize protecting families and communities, restoring due process, and upholding fundamental rights. These safeguards will protect those already in the U.S. and create permanent pathways for anyone seeking to fulfill their dreams here.
Work hard and the benefits will come. Never has this idea felt more out of reach. Worker exploitation fuels deeper instability, while corporate greed, shareholder appeasement, and lax regulations continue to punish working people. Deregulation strips away basic labor protections and promotes anti-organizing efforts aimed at unions. I have supported New Yorkers struggling to make ends meet helping them navigate employment challenges, cut through the licensing bureaucracy, and even write resumes. Everyone deserves to be paid a fair wage that reflects their contributions, beginning with a long overdue meaningful minimum wage for all workers. Employers need to be responsible for paying their full share, increasing contributions for fundamental benefits - health, retirement, pensions, child care, and leave. The National Labor Relations Board must be strengthened to make it easier to organize, foster unions, and protect workers from every sector: full-time, part-time, contract, gig, caregiving, and unpaid labor. New challenges to the working-class arise every day including the utilization of AI, the rapid onset of automation, and the misclassification of workers. Our economy must center policies that create portability - so benefits follow all workers, not employers or job classifications. An economic system must also guarantee workers the right to share in profits, regardless of their role, not just shareholders.
EMPOWER WORKERS.
WORKERS BUILD OUR SOCIETY AND DESERVE STABILITY, RESPECT, AND REAL POWER
GUARANTEE HEALTHCARE.
EVERYONE DESERVES UNIVERSAL, AFFORDABLE, AND ACCESSIBLE HEALTHCARE, WITHOUT BARRIERS
No one should have to fear getting sick, losing coverage, or going into debt to stay alive. Even when we are fortunate to have insurance, we are controlled by a corporate driven health care system that too often forces an impossible choice between care or financial ruin. Those without insurance face even greater hardship. Growing up in a household without health insurance, I understood the day-to-day tough decisions all too well. We asked ourselves: Are we sick enough? Is there some other home remedy? Maybe rest will fix it? Healthcare is a fundamental right, and the richest country in the world can and must deliver Medicare for All. I will advance immediate reforms that bring us closer to this vision. Expand government subsidized health coverage through the ACA for the uninsured, making prescription drugs affordable without outrageous out-of-pocket costs, and guaranteeing expanded coverage for everyone by eliminating preexisting condition exclusions.
