As a Latina Daughter of Immigrants, I'm Voting For Immigration Reform

I remember when I first learned that Donald Trump had been elected the 45th president of the United States. I was 17 years old, and it was November 9, 2016. I had just returned from my first-ever trip to Europe. As we landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport, the flight attendant informed us that Trump was officially the president-elect. The tears came rapidly. The drive back home to New Jersey with my family, who could not travel abroad and sought to see the world through me, should've been filled with exciting vacation stories. Instead, it turned into a conversation about newfound fear.

As the daughter of two immigrants, who is the first from either side of her family to be born in the US; I have never been ignorant of the privileges that pocketing a blue passport engraved with the words "United States of America" has given me. Raised among mostly Latine and Middle Eastern immigrants in a diverse working-class community in Paterson, NJ, I became familiar with the challenges that migrating came with early on — especially for those who arrived in the US undocumented.

Trump Has Relied on Dehumanizing Fear-Mongering Tactics Since the Beginning

The terror I felt that day in 2016 dates back to the day Trump announced his presidency on June 16, 2015, at his namesake New York tower.

"The US has become a dumping ground for everybody else's problems," Trump said, inflicting fear on the American people by demonizing Latin American and Middle Eastern immigrants. "When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best. They're not sending you. They're not sending you. They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people." Unfortunately, it didn't end here, as he continued: "It's coming from more than Mexico. It's coming from all over South and Latin America, and it's coming probably — probably — from the Middle East."

The words Trump chose to use during this speech didn't feel like he was addressing immigration as a societal issue in America but rather spewing xenophobia. As the daughter of two immigrants from Colombia, raised by and around mostly other first or second-generation Latines — I never thought of the people who raised me or my friends as a "burden." I admired the stories of my parents and their chosen community and those my friends shared about their own families.

Those who migrate to the US undocumented are aware of the basic resources they'll lack and the challenges they'll face. From housing insecurity and lack of access to affordable healthcare to language barriers and other cultural phenomenons that expose them to xenophobia. Far from the burden, Trump claims millions of our loved ones to be, immigrants are some of the most independent and strong people in our communities. As a man who comes from generational wealth and was handed the resources to create more, referring to the US as a dumping ground for immigrant's problems highlights ignorance rooted in privilege.

Since Trump's presidential speech announcing his 2016 campaign, his strategy has remained: instill fear into Americans at the expense of its immigrants. The reality is that undocumented immigrants don't have the same access to resources as Americans. Immigrants are not dumping their problems on a nation that barely recognizes them. How can someone who can't even qualify for the same jobs as a US citizen take a job from said citizen? Why would someone avoid being reprimanded by the law at the cost of their livelihood and commit crimes? Trump's privilege is proof that he's too far removed to properly address or acknowledge a community of millions of immigrants who mostly seek to just merely survive.

The Harm of the Criminalization of Immigration

In 2018, Trump's persistence to criminalize undocumented immigrants resulted in enacting a dangerous "zero tolerance" policy that left more than 2,000 children separated from their parents. The images of children in cages were sickening, but so was the fact that two years later, in 2020, there were reports of 545 migrant children who had yet to still be reunited with their parents. This policy separating families at the US-Mexico border criminalized even the youngest of immigrants, and Latine families were at the forefront of this monstrosity.

During this time, the administration didn't only separate children from their families forcibly at the border — the US-born children of immigrants were also impacted. In the first year of his presidency, immigration arrests rose 41% compared to 2016. In fiscal year 2017, ICE data showed an increase of 171% in non-criminal arrests. According to Pew Research Center data from 2022, about 4.4 million US-born children under 18 live with an undocumented parent and account for about 84% of all minor children living with an undocumented immigrant parent.

Another term for Trump is another four years in which migrant families will be forced into fear or separation. "On day one, I will launch the largest deportation program in American history," he said at a rally at Madison Square Garden. Adding, "I will rescue every city and town that has been invaded and conquered, and we will put these vicious and bloodthirsty criminals in jail, going to kick them the hell out of our country as fast as possible."

Trump is racist and xenophobic, and his nationalist agenda is a disguise that's easy to see through as his dehumanizing rhetoric continues to empower white supremacists. We saw that with one of his allies, comic Tony Hinchcliffe, who spoke at his rally at MSG and referred to Puerto Rico as a "floating island of garbage." These are the types of comments that those given a platform by the former president feel comfortable making in an environment led by him.

Harris' Efforts: From Vice President to Candidate

In 2021, as vice president, Harris led the Biden Administration's Root Causes Strategy, enforcing efforts to address the root causes of migration from Central America. During this time, Harris made tangible efforts that centered on Latine communities by working alongside the Partnership for Central America on a Call to Action that challenged US corporations to invest and create economic opportunities in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. As of March 2024, it was reported that this partnership generated more than 5.2 billion in private sector commitments for Northern Central America.
As vice president, Harris positively impacted Latine communities through her diplomatic efforts. Now as a presidential candidate, she's expressed the need for Congress to pass legislation that creates an attainable pathway to citizenship as part of a comprehensive immigration reform.

Harris's political agenda prioritizes a pathway to citizenship for those who arrived as children (DREAMers) and individuals with temporary protected status. She recognizes the contributions of immigrants in the US and addresses DACA recipients as motivation during a town hall in Las Vegas hosted by Univision earlier in October. "One of the biggest problems with failure to have a comprehensive plan for immigration is that we have not given them the pathway to earn their right to citizenship," she said.

Beyond being the daughter of two immigrants, I was the classmate and am the friend of DACA recipients. I've studied and worked alongside DREAMers who worked twice as hard and had less than half of the opportunities that I do as an American. Not because I'm brighter, more hardworking, or more deserving — but because of my blatant privilege. As an American, any candidate who doesn't acknowledge or have a plan for immigrants doesn't reflect my values.

The Power of the Gen Z Vote

According to data from CIRCLE, the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, I am one of the nearly 41 million Gen Zs eligible to vote in 2024, accounting for one of the 8.8 million Gen Zers with Latine heritage. My hopes for Gen Z turnout at the polls are high this election.

Beyond using my right as an American to vote for undocumented loved ones who cannot and against Trump's anti-immigrant and anti-women agenda, I am voting for Harris to keep my bodily autonomy. Harris has vowed to restore the freedom taken from American women under the Trump administration through the abortion bans his hand-selected Supreme Court Justices took from us during her closing argument speech in DC.

As a Gen Z woman who is excited to one day become a tía to her friend's children and who helps raise a 16-year-old sister, I have faith that Gen Z will vote for the fundamental freedom to make decisions about our own bodies. Under the Trump administration, one in three women in America currently lives in a state with a Trump abortion ban. Many with no exceptions, even for rape and incest.

I believe my generation, which will be raising a future generation of Americans, deserves to do so on their own terms, and Harris does too. The Democratic candidate expressed her desire to proudly sign into law the congressional bill to restore reproductive freedom nationwide if she's elected as president.

While my belief system mostly aligns with the Democratic agenda, especially when it comes to immigration and reproductive rights, I am not affiliated with any political party and don't plan to ever be. My decision to vote for Harris in this election isn't based on a political party or gender. After all, the United States was founded on colonization and continues to promote it overseas by funding Israel's occupation of Palestine. As the US has provided Israel with over $130 billion in bilateral assistance, this war, similar to mass deportation, has historically been endorsed by both parties.

From his presidential announcement speech in 2015, when the hateful rhetoric began to this September's presidential debate during which he falsely accused Haitian immigrants of eating Americans' pets and then proceeded to call himself Israel's "protector" less than ten days later as he addressed the Israeli-American Council, Trump's fear-mongering tactics and anti-immigration rhetoric make him the wrong candidate to represent a nation as diverse as ours.

I'm voting for Harris because I am a woman with reproductive organs who loves and respects the immigrants she was raised by and around. Harris's plans to protect our reproductive freedom and bring a sense of hope to millions of immigrants and their children (like me) — don't just make her the right choice. She is the only choice.

Ashley Garcia Lezcano is an audience strategist, writer, and producer with a passion for highlighting Latine culture and stories. In addition to PS, her work has appeared in People en Español and Teen Vogue. As a first-generation Colombian American, Ashley is committed to authentically amplifying Latin voices and narratives.