My family immigrated from Mexico when I was 8 years old because they believed that if they came here, worked hard and made sacrifices, they could succeed. They believed in the American Dream.
Donald Trump is trying to hijack the American Dream
“We have a choice to stand up to the insidious falsehoods that have demonized our community and do so unequivocally – not by booing, but by exercising our right to vote.”
Por:Ruben Kihuen
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks while accepting the Conservative Party of New York State's nomination for president on September 7, 2016 in New York City (arquive)
Imagen Spencer Platt/Getty Images
For 23 years, my mother has cleaned hotel rooms in Las Vegas to provide for our family. She works tirelessly, but I have never heard her complain. In fact, after being voted Employee of the Month, she once told me, “In America, if you work hard, you’ll reap the rewards, mijo.”
In America, she benefitted from a decent wage, health care, and the support of the Culinary Workers Union. In America, her youngest son had the opportunity to learn English in public schools and play soccer in public parks. In America, her youngest son could work his way through an affordable public university.
But the American Dream that my parents sacrificed so much for is under threat from Donald Trump and Republicans who share his views.
Despite a near universal desire for an end to Venezuela’s manmade disaster, sending in U.S forces to take out the Maduro regime would be counter-productive. It should be categorically rejected by interim president Juan Guaidó, not to mention the Trump administration.
The firing of undocumented workers at Trump's golf clubs just shows how the practice of employing immigrants without legal work papers is much more common than we might imagine. Such is life in the United States.
The Trump administration should be wary of fueling fake news predictions about an imminent American invasion which unrealistically raises expectations about Maduro's removal.
At some point we will have to accept the fact that the border between Mexico and the United States is nothing more than an invention.
The United States has had a major role in the evolving drama of the fight for democracy in Venezuela and Nicaragua. And so far, it’s been surprisingly coordinated, a veritable model of multilateralism.
Has the Maduro regime reached breaking point? It remains hard to say, but tomorrow is another - more hopeful - day for the restoration of democracy in the South American nation.
It’s impossible to get into Trump’s head but what comes out of his mouth are racist remarks. But, saddest of all are the millions who tolerate his views, cheer him on and emulate his behavior.
The time is well past due for the U.S. government to conduct a thorough review of leaders and their senior colleagues before they leave office to determine if they merit visas.
I’m thinking of people like Congressman Cresent Hardy, who vociferously supports Trump “100 percent.” In Congressman Hardy’s own words: “I think he’s the best man in this race to be able to accomplish what we want.” And his approval of Trump didn’t stop there, “I will do whatever he wants me to do to help him get elected.”
Republicans like Trump and Hardy tell a very different story about immigrant families like mine. They fear us and they inspire that fear in others. They believe in building walls and pitting hardworking Americans against each other.
I’m in this race and I support Hillary Clinton because I firmly believe my district in Nevada and our country deserves new leadership that shares our values and respects our diverse communities. We need a president who will build bridges, not walls. It’s time to elect a president like Hillary Clinton who understands us and will help turn our dreams into a reality.
I support Hillary’s promise to introduce comprehensive immigration reform with a pathway to full and equal citizenship within her first 100 days in office. Congressman Hardy not only opposed any effort to pass comprehensive immigration reform, worse, he compared his votes (that are tearing apart families) to “ picking jelly beans.”
For too long, Congressman Hardy and Trump have gotten a pass for incendiary and insulting language.
Undocumented children and parents who want to come out of the shadows are human beings. The racially insensitive rhetoric used by my opponent and Donald Trump is not a matter of “courage” in the face political correctness. It’s a matter of being wrong.
This is still a country that believes in giving everyone a fair chance at achieving the American Dream. And to honor that value, we should come together as a community to elect a president who will fight to raise the minimum wage, equal pay for women, protect women’s reproductive rights, make college more affordable and support working families like mine so we can keep the American Dream alive for generations to come.
This will be a historical election in which Latinos and our generation will play a pivotal role in shaping the direction of our country. We have a choice to stand up to the insidious falsehoods that have demonized our community and do so unequivocally – not by booing, but by exercising our right to vote. Register to vote and make sure your friends and family are registered too before the upcoming deadlines in Nevada: Monday, October 11 by mail and Sunday, October 18 online or in person. Find out everything you need to know about voting in Nevada here.
Latinos will show up to the polls in groundbreaking numbers in this election to defend the American Dream and to stand up to Trump. His relentless disparaging of Mexicans and immigrants has been a cornerstone of his campaign. Register to vote now so we can send Trump a united message that we will not be divided.
Disclaimer: We selected this Op-Ed to be published in our opinion section as a contribution to public debate. The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of its author(s) and/or the organization(s) they represent and do not reflect the views or the editorial line of Univision Noticias.