Posted on 09/15/2020 9:05:04 AM PDT by Drango
These days, Miriam Robles spends a lot of time on the phone. In between her day job as an environmental justice organizer at Mi Familia Vota, a Latino political advocacy group that opposes President Trump, Robles phone-banks to register new voters.
One new voter she's worked with is her 18-year-old brother, Kevin.
"I was super excited to get him registered," she says. "I helped him fill out his primary ballot and made sure that he applied for [Arizona's] Permanent Early Voting List. For him, he is looking at this fiercely as something that he could do for his family."
Robles says it's a bittersweet feeling, helping her brother perform his civic duty while she is unable to vote.
Their father came to the United States from Mexico through a temporary work program in the '90s. Robles and her mother joined him in Phoenix when she was 3 years old under a visitor's visa. They all stayed. Her brother and sister were born in the U.S. and are citizens, but Robles remained undocumented and applied for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, better known as DACA, in high school.
DACA is an Obama-era program that currently shields from deportation roughly 640,000 immigrants who were brought into the U.S. as children.
Robles says growing up, there was always a looming fear for the safety of her family.
Biden Pledges To Dismantle Trump's Sweeping Immigration Changes — But Can He Do That? NATIONAL Biden Pledges To Dismantle Trump's Sweeping Immigration Changes — But Can He Do That? "That's definitely something that all children of undocumented parents have to go through, whether they're documented or not, is having that conversation of, 'If I get deported, this is what you need to do.' And that's a really scary conversation to have at any age," she says.
"Even today, I'm a 24-year-old, and I still have plans if something were to happen and I know exactly how I would make sure my siblings are safe and things like that."
Only recently has Robles felt comfortable sharing her family's story.
"I grew up in a majority-white neighborhood," she says. "So for me, it was even hard to talk about my status. I have friends who I've known 10 to 15 years, and I'm just now letting them know what my situation is because, you're obviously scared. I've had friends who have had their parents deported because someone called [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] on them."
Of particular concern to Robles is a path toward protected status for her parents, and the DACA program itself.
Shortly after taking office, Trump attempted to dismantle DACA. The Supreme Court recently sided with recipients in protecting the program, but the administration is still trying to scale it back. It has reduced the renewal period for current recipients from two years to one year, which doubles applicant fees, and has stopped processing new applications.
Robles says she feels compelled to speak up now in a year that has brought a national reckoning on racial injustice.
"If I can see Black activists going out there and getting arrested and getting beaten, then why would I not want to do the bare minimum and share my story, you know?"
Map: Mail-In Voting Rules By State ELECTIONS Map: Mail-In Voting Rules By State In her work and activism, Robles often faces a common refrain: that people have no plans to vote.
"They're like, 'Well [the impact of voting is] very marginal.' And so for me, what's been really important is to just come from a place of a lot of vulnerability and say, 'Some of us actually live in those margins and some of us, our lives are decided by those margins.' "
Robles also says it can feel disheartening to push so hard for people to vote, knowing it's not possible for her.
"I definitely get a little sad, but it also gives me hope. I think a lot of people have these fantasies of like what their future [will be] like. A lot of little girls always imagine, 'Oh, my wedding day.' For me, that's always been, 'Oh, the day that I become a citizen and get to vote!' "
Cristina Jiménez, co-founder of United We Dream Action, an immigrant youth-led organization, says people such as Robles are the most effective messengers for political participation.
"When you hear from people whose lives have been impacted by a policy and by how we vote, that really builds the consciousness of people around us, that our vote matters a lot," she says.
It's a story that's personal for Jiménez, too.
"Growing up undocumented, not having the right to vote and living in this country for over 20 years, I will be voting for the first time after becoming a citizen last year," she says. "This is my first presidential election. And when people [ask] me why am I passionate about this election, it's because I have experienced directly how policies that are voted on by elected officials have a direct impact on people's lives."
Does her brother also vote in Mexico as their government encourages?
Don’t let them fool you, lots of foreigners are voting in our elections.
The main stream press keeps harping that foreign interference in US elections is bad. But they don’t comment on non citizens marching, protesting, registering new voters for “undocumented immigrants.” In fact they even high light stories of “undocumented immigrants” making their opinions heard on Trump. The main stream media is contributing to foreign interference in US elections.
You know that in Mexico it is strictly against the law for any non-citizen to be involved in any political activity. Simply marching in a political parade can be grounds for deportation. And then there are the Mexican laws on entry/citizenship to consider.
If you as a foreigner want to become a Mexican citizen, the Mexican Congress has to pass a law granting it to you.
But does Mexico consider him a Mexican citizen born to Mexican citizen parents?
But does Mexico consider him a Mexican citizen born to Mexican citizen parents?
Estatos Stupidos
Another reason I despise Mexico and Mexicans.
Another reason I despise Mexico and Mexicans.
I despise Mexicans because they live in the richest country Latin America and their people do nothing to change the systemic corruption in their society.
I despise them because I , as an American, will never forget May 1, 2006 when hundreds of thousands of Mexicans marched in the streets across this country carrying their damned flag and yelling “Si Se Peudeo’’, “yes We Can’’.
I despise Mexicans because they despise America. They take $22 billion dollars a year out of this nations economy and send it back to Mexico after receiving free health care, free education and welfare benefits in America and the American taxpayer bears the cost. I despise them because they are only one of two countries in all the world fortunate enough to share a border with the US and still they hate us. And your post is an exercise in moral idiocy. If your next door neighbor leave his front door open it isn't an invitation to enter his home uninvited.
“...your post is an exercise in moral idiocy. If your next door neighbor leave his front door open it isn’t an invitation to enter his home uninvited.”
I never said or implied that I approved of the Mexican government’s encouragement of sending their population north to us, the vast bulk of which is illegal.
You give some pretty good reasons for despising Mexico. There is a Mexican Education channel—Canal Onze—that I get on DirecTV. They ran a series of Eleven things about Mexico. One was the 11 worst Mexicans in history. Five of the eleven were Presidents or leaders of the country. So even they are aware they haven’t been blessed with good government.
“We should adopt Mexico’s immigration laws and then the Mexicans would be inclined stay on their side of the border.”
Yes there would be no end to the wailing and whining but it would more than likely end at some point. It isn’t just Mexico that is the trouble coming from Latin America. Central America is where all those caravans originated from. They’re all clamoring to get in here still.
I’m fed up with ALL immigration into America.We take in a million people a year. No other nation on Earth does that.
We’re losing our identity and our sovereignty. We need to go back to pre-1965 levels of immigration, 300,000 a year but of course this would be met with howls from all quarters. The loudest from inside America itself.
“We need to go back to pre-1965 levels of immigration...”
When it comes to the Kenndeys they didn’t shoot enough of them.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.