Immigrant communities have been under constant attack during the Trump Administration. With the midterm elections approaching, people are wondering if those voters will turn out and cast their ballots, or stay home.
In McClatchy’s Trump Policies, Rhetoric Unlikely to Scare Immigrant Voters Away From Polls, the author quotes several groups that see that the anti-immigrant talk from Trump is creating a lot of energy in those communities that could translate into voter turnout. One example:
Jerry Gonzalez, executive director of the Georgia Association of Latino Elected Officials, said Trump administration policies that try “to push the immigrant population further underground” are actually mobilizing Hispanic voters.
Although the article is mostly positive, it does provide a balanced view. The author also points out that while midterm turnout sat at a dismal 42% in 2014, the turn out for Hispanics and Asians was around 27%.
The article also details some of the efforts by both the Democratic and Republican parties as they look towards November 2018.
Coming from a different viewpoint, the New Yorker’s In Rural Tennessee, a Big ICE Raid Makes Some Conservative Voters Rethink Trump’s Immigration Agenda chronicles how a very conservative town is reacting to an ICE raid that detained nearly 100 people. A town that voted 77% for Trump and where immigration is a “hot button topic” nevertheless has raised over $60,000 for the families affected by the raid.
It’s a good read. I lingered over this quote by a conservative voter who held conflicting views about the raid and its effects, particularly on the children, but nonetheless was looking at the issue and trying to get past the misinformation rampant in the news.
“We all get a little bit smarter as the issue gets more personal.”
My kingdom for people who can feel compassion before they’re personally affected by an issue.
Here are some organizations that are working with immigrant voter communities:
Mobilize the Immigrant Vote
Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote
Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights
Voto Latino
Let me know of others I should add to the list in the comments and I’ll update the post.
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