Coincidentally, Julissa Reynoso, who has been the US ambassador to Spain for the past three years, has left her post at the same time that her country’s electoral campaign has suddenly been electrified by the sparks that the world is watching: Joe Biden’s deterioration was followed by the attack on Trump, his messianic proclamation and, finally, the president’s resignation while pointing to Kamala Harris as the best candidate to beat the Republican. Now out of diplomatic office, the New York lawyer of Dominican origin, a Democratic activist and former high-ranking official during the mandates of Barack Obama and Biden, speaks openly: “Harris is a very brave woman, very committed to the law, who will be able to strongly fight a candidate with a very serious criminal record like Trump. She offers a very significant contrast to what he represents,” says Reynoso, who applauds the exciting moment that is opening up. “She is a woman, a minority, young, a former prosecutor and she also inherits all of Biden’s impressive achievements. “We are thrilled to be electing a woman who can make a difference and stop the threat of another four years of Trump, a thought that terrifies much of the country.”
Julissa Reynoso, born in Salcedo (Dominican Republic) 49 years ago and moved to the Bronx (New York) at the age of seven, has all the ingredients of those who represent the American dream in its most open, meritocratic and multicultural version, along the same lines as Kamala Harris: she is a woman, with Latin and African origins and a lawyer with extensive experience in civil rights, especially in the field of immigration. We spoke at the headquarters of the Harmon consulting firm while she prepares to return to the law firm Winston & Strawn, where she returns as a partner dedicated especially to transnational matters.
—What do you fear most if Trump returns to the White House?
— The worst thing is the possible deterioration of what we call the social compact, that the Government and the State are seen as something that does not help us, but rather harms us. It is very dangerous for citizens to lose faith in their institutions. We saw this during Trump’s presidency and it is the greatest risk, because the most important thing the country has are its institutions, beyond parties and individuals.
Reynoso describes with concern the tools that Trump and the far right use around the world against immigration: “They win votes – very cheaply – by accusing and stigmatising people based on their origin and race in order to mobilise another group. It is a very old practice. They accuse immigrants of being criminals and they do so without proof, when the vast majority of them want to work with dignity. The data indicate that most of the crime problems we have are committed by local people,” he says. On the contrary, immigrants are generally “models of seriousness because they don’t want problems, they want to stay, they want to work to be able to support their families.” And that, he says, is what Trump practices with everything: “It is his way of doing politics: saying things that are not based on the truth. And, if one does not do one’s own research and draw one’s own conclusions, one believes that the world is on fire and that the bad guys are migrant minorities. When the reality is that almost all of us are children, grandchildren or have ties to immigrants, including Trump, because his wife is one, or the vice presidential candidate, because his wife is one as well. The story does not match reality.”
Attacks against racial minorities have always occurred in the history of the United States. And the far right’s use of demonizing the different to cause panic in the population is certainly frequent, but it is also something that was normally used in economic crises. What is extraordinary about this moment, she says, is that “today, on the contrary, we are experiencing one of the best moments in our history at a macroeconomic level. We even need immigrants to work. There is more work than the population is willing to do.” The recent ambassador, the first woman in the post after 80 men, attributes the great growth of her country to the mandate and policies of Biden, whom she considers practically family. “For me it is like talking about my father,” she says. Not in vain, she was chief of staff to his wife, Jill Biden. For this reason, she believes that the president has been exemplary in his resignation, that the times he has chosen have been perfect and he has not agreed at all with those who have pressured him. “It has been a lack of respect,” she says.
Knowing what’s happening outside means understanding what’s going to happen inside, so don’t miss anything.
KEEP READING
—You are returning to the US at a time of enormous polarization. Are you worried?
— My country is very diverse. That makes it interesting and that is part of the dynamics of a democracy. We have lived through difficult times in the past, from the civil rights movements to Watergate, Iran Contra or the impeachment Clinton’s case. It’s not new. The attack on the Capitol was the most significant threat to an institution of the State and democracy, but justice works. That’s why I’m proud to be part of that profession.
—And the mood of the country? Polarization has permeated the population.
— It is a delicate situation. We are seeing violence associated with that and the tragic episode of the attack against Trump is a disgrace as a country. But I also know the American people and I know that crises help us reinvent ourselves and become stronger. We will get through this well. On the other hand, the US is not the only country that is experiencing these divisions, we see them in many democracies. There is a significant threat from disinformation, a threat from the extremes. And as democratic countries we are going to have to analyze what is working and what is not. See how to work so that our societies are more civic, that they have more consideration for other citizens, beyond politics.
Reynoso is returning to her legal profession and her office with the ambition of being able to help international companies that want to invest in the US based on the opportunities that have been opened up, she says, by the three major laws promoted by Biden: the infrastructure bill, the one to fight inflation and the one that seeks independence in the production of semiconductors. The ambassador highlights that important Spanish companies have already taken positions on the ground and there is room for greater investment. This work and the work that New York lawyers dedicate to defending the rights of people without resources awaits her upon her return. “During the Trump era, I worked pro bono [asistencia y asesoramiento a personas excluidas del ámbito de la justicia gratuita] “I’m working with asylum seekers and families who have been divided by the border. It’s part of our duty and I look forward to continuing to do it. I’m very proud of that part of our work.” In the meantime, she will also throw herself into helping a campaign that, she hopes, will bring a woman to the White House for the first time in history. “The vice president is a great political leader, she is a personal friend and she has done a great job. She has always been committed to justice and equality causes. She lives what she believes in and is in politics because she believes it can improve the lives of citizens. She will be a great candidate and a great president.”
For the sake of all this, she has left her post as ambassador to Spain, a country with which she has a close connection through culture and traditions and with which she has tried to work on a “deep, diverse and agile integration” between the two governments at all levels. The experience, she concludes, “has been extraordinary.”
Follow all the international information atFacebook andXor inour weekly newsletter.
