Sonia Vilamizar has been American for twenty years, but she has not voted in the past and plans to cast her ballot for the first time in November during the heated presidential elections in the United States, where discussions about immigration dominate. Neither the Democratic nor the Republican camp satisfies this thirty-year-old, who hails from Peru. In order to win the presidency and remain in the White House, the Democrats need to convince undecided voters like Vilamizar.
In the United States, approximately 36.2 million Latino Americans are eligible to vote in this election, constituting 14.7 percent of the total voter population, according to the Pew Research Center. However, only 13 million of them are registered to vote, according to Clarissa Martinez de Castro from the organization UnidosUS. Consequently, the Democratic camp has intensified its advertising campaigns and bilingual events in the southwestern states like Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and Texas.
This week, U.S. President Joe Biden canceled his participation in a gathering for the Latino community in Las Vegas after contracting COVID-19. Biden (81) is under pressure to withdraw his candidacy, especially following his disastrous debate against Republican candidate Donald Trump, with many figures on the left calling for him to step aside in favor of a younger candidate. Regardless of who the Democratic nominee is in November, Latino votes will be a key factor in the electoral equation.
Francisco Aguilar, an election official in Nevada, stated, "Our votes in Arizona and Nevada carry significant weight, as they will determine who the next president of the United States will be." He noted that "only half" of the registered Latino Americans actually vote. His counterpart in Arizona, Adrian Fuentes, emphasized that combating voter abstention is the top priority. However, Fuentes mentioned that motivating this audience to vote is a tough task "if we only pay attention to them two or three weeks before Election Day."
While support for left-wing candidates among Latino Americans was once assured, it has declined in recent years. Since Biden's disastrous debate performance, Trump has been competing for their votes, with voting intentions indicating that Trump holds 36 percent of these votes, according to a Pew Research Center survey. Immigration is a contentious issue for the Democratic president, even among Latinos, as some accuse him of being lenient in the face of mass influx at the border, while others criticize him for failing to reform immigration laws and systems.
On one hand, he recently enacted an executive order aimed at addressing asylum seekers and immigrants when their numbers reach 2,500 per day. Under these restrictions, authorities will be able to deport migrants who have entered the United States without the required documents. On the other hand, he has eased the process of obtaining permanent residency (the famous green card) for spouses of U.S. citizens. Raquel Alboiz (34) expressed that "what matters most to us is a government that cares for and sympathizes with immigrants." The Dominican woman obtained her green card a decade ago, but she feels that the path to citizenship is very costly and involves difficult bureaucratic procedures. She stated, "We pay taxes, we start from scratch, and we work hard to secure opportunities in this country... we want a government that helps us."
Donald Trump has pledged to deport millions of undocumented immigrants and close the borders starting on his first day back in the White House, should he win the elections. This hardline stance receives support from many long-standing conservative Latino Americans. The former Republican president also gains points as a businessman, as voters have been severely affected by inflation since the pandemic.
Joseph Suarez in Las Vegas sighed, "In the past, we could hope to buy a house here... today? Even paying for groceries has become difficult." This driver voted for Biden in 2020, but he does not rule out "giving Trump another chance." Union leader Suzy Martinez believes that despite the hesitation among Latinos, this community will remain supportive of the left. She added, "A large part of Trump’s program won’t help Latinos; it will help the wealthy and corporations." She concluded, "Ultimately, Latinos know what is important."