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Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Democrats Have Lost Ground With Immigrants. Under Trump, They Need to Fight for Them
Anadolu/Getty Images Stay up-to-date with the politics team. Sign up for the Teen Vogue Take I became a Democrat because Democrats stood up for immigrants. It's that simple — and that personal. But the moral clarity the party once showed on immigration is now murky. And our slide isn't just bad policy: it's bad strategy. At a time when voters seek to distinguish good from bad in politics, I look back on my arrival with hope. When I arrived in Florida at 13, fleeing Venezuela's authoritarian government, I didn't speak English. Our asylum was miraculously approved in two months; most aren't so lucky. In high school, I watched President Obama launch DACA and DAPA to protect Dreamers and parents of U.S. citizen children and lawful permanent residents. Yet my undocumented friends who lived in Florida their whole lives couldn't get in-state tuition. The injustice shook me. I realized early that opportunity here often depends on luck, not merit or heart. With the support of incredible teachers and my community, I graduated as Valedictorian and earned a full ride to Princeton University. While in undergrad, I helped manage my former teacher Johanna López's campaign for school board in Orange County, a grassroots, immigrant-led movement that elected the first Latina school board member in our county's history. It was a powerful lesson: when immigrants organize, we don't just belong — we lead. After earning a master's at Oxford, I came home to Orlando. I helped elect US Rep. Maxwell Frost (D), the first Gen Z member of Congress, and worked with the Biden administration to create a humanitarian parole program to allow Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans to enter the US legally with the support of a US-based sponsor and to redesignate temporary protected status (TPS) for Venezuelans. Today, as Chair of the Orange County Democratic Party, the youngest and only Hispanic local Democratic Party chair in Florida, and as a DNC member, I'm proud that we've built a multiracial, multigenerational coalition that flipped three seats blue during the 2024 red wave. We didn't compromise. We stood for our values and won. Our success came from year-round organizing, including over five million voter contact attempts and the distribution of more than 500,000 multilingual voter guides. We made history by electing teacher Anne Douglas, a Black woman and an immigrant, to the school board by more than 18 points. We sent Carlos Guillermo Smith, the son of a Peruvian immigrant, to the Florida Senate. We flipped State House District 45 by electing Leonard Spencer over an incumbent who voted for anti-immigration legislation. We sent Monique Worrell back to the State Attorney's office after her removal by Ron DeSantis. We elected Kelly Martinez Semrad, the granddaughter of a Mexican farmworker, to the County Commission by roughly 15 points, despite being outspent four to one, according to campaign finance records. We re-elected pro-immigrant champion US Rep. Darren Soto by over 12 points in a district Vice President Harris won by less than four points. And we re-elected Rep. Frost, whose mom is a Cuban-American immigrant, and State Rep. Anna V. Eskamani, the first Iranian-American elected to the Florida Legislature. Despite these successes, in the presidential race, the Democratic Party slipped almost everywhere — from here in Florida to Texas, Arizona, and Nevada, to even states seen as reliably blue like New York, Illinois, and New Jersey. Part of the reason is that Democrats lost ground with immigrant-turned-citizen voters. Unfortunately, too often, Democrats have stayed silent, cowered, or tried to "out-tough" the right on immigration issues. Instead, we could proudly make the case for inclusion. A recent Pew Research Center poll found 64% of Americans believe most immigrants 'should have a way to stay in the country legally if certain requirements are met.' The stakes are bigger than one election cycle. Some experts fear that attacks on immigrants could open the door to authoritarianism around the world. Strip immigrants of rights, and native-born citizens could be next. Erase due process for one group, and the entire foundation of democracy cracks. History shows this clearly: Black Americans weren't fully recognized as citizens until the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and democracy expanded. Across the 20th century, immigrants from China, Japan, Mexico, and beyond fought decades of exclusion to claim their rightful place in US society, and democracy was strengthened. Every major expansion of citizenship, both socially and legally, has made America more democratic, not less. When we lose the fight for immigrants, we lose the fight for democracy itself. I haven't spent thousands of hours building up the Democratic Party in Florida because it was easy, but because America's promise of belonging is worth fighting for. In the Orlando area, we didn't flip seats by running scared. We've built a party that looks like our community, talks about immigration as a strength, and fights for everyone. We go beyond viewing immigrants merely as workers or contributors to our economy; we recognize them as human beings, as our neighbors, friends, and fellow community members, deserving of dignity, respect, and belonging. That's the blueprint — not just for winning elections, but for saving democracy. If Democrats want to win the future, we must be unapologetic: Immigrants belong. Democracy demands it. And we're not backing down. Originally Appeared on Teen Vogue Want more Teen Vogue immigration coverage? 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Yahoo
27-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Immigrants warned to beware of ‘notarios' offering legal services
South Florida legislators are joining advocates to warn immigrants, whether or not they are in the country legally, to watch out for unqualified professionals offering legal services to keep them from being deported. With the current political landscape driving immigrants to law offices throughout the state, some advocates are pointing to a professional title that often gets lost in translation from Spanish to English. In South American countries, a 'notario publico' is a legal professional close in status to a lawyer, able to provide services and charge accordingly. In the U.S., a 'notary public' is someone authorized by the state to verify signatures on legal documents, administer oaths and perform weddings. While the two terms look similar, neither is a translation of the other. That could cause confusion for people who have questions about their legal status, asylum applications and work permits, among other issues. 'Ensuring [immigrants] have access to legitimate legal representation and protection from fraud is not just a moral imperative — it is a matter of public safety and economic stability,' said Florida House Rep. Johanna López, D-Orlando, who filed a bill (HB 915) with Rep. Marie Woodson, D-Hollywood, aiming to keep providers honest about their qualifications. 'Notario fraud remains a persistent problem in Florida,' Woodson said. 'Our proposed legislation seeks to require clearer disclosure requirements for non-attorneys offering immigration-related services.' The senate version of the bill (SB 846) was filed by Sen. Tina Polsky, D-Boca Raton. 'Due to the high priority this Legislature and Governor has placed on immigration, I hope that our legislation will be a priority,' Polsky said. Rafael Olmeda can be reached at rolmeda@ or 954-356-4457. Follow him on
