South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg unveiled a series of policy proposals seeking to empower Latino communities by creating paths to citizenship for undocumented people and investing in Latino-owned businesses among others. Photo by Archie Carpenter/UPI | License Photo

Dec. 16 (UPI) -- Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg released a set of policy proposals focused on supporting Latinos in the United States on Monday.

The South Bend, Ind., mayor shared the plan called "El Pueblo Unidos: A New Era for Latinos" on his campaign website pledging to provide a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants and invest in Latino businesses.


"Latinos in the United States have been burdened for too long by a legacy of systemic discrimination. It is for this reason that our campaign has woven policies to support and empower the Latino community throughout our policy plans," Buttigieg said.

Buttigieg said he will support legislation that provides a path to citizenship for about 11 million people with temporary protections such as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and Temporary Protected Status as well as protecting Armed Forces members from deportation.

He also pledged to reduce the backlog of family-based visas and yearly increase the number of visas issued for family reunification as well as remove some immigration issues from the court system.

In order to support Latinos who seek to start or maintain their own businesses, Buttigieg's plan would invest $10 billion in federal money to establish a fund for entrepreneurs from underrepresented groups.

His plan also outlined other wide-reaching policy proposals that would benefit Latinos including fighting voter suppression, lowering the cost of college tuition and instituting a $15 minimum wage.