Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from Allentown, Pennsylvania
One thing that I’ve found here in Allentown – and which quite frankly surprised me – is that the area’s undocumented population is extremely politically active, even if they can’t vote.
Several people have told me that despite their status here, they are encouraging eligible voters in their community to vote. The election, they say, will ultimately have a huge impact on them and their future in this country.
Earlier I spoke to Armando Jimenez, a native of Mexico who has been in the US for 32 of his 38 years. He’s part of a coalition of groups that has claimed to have gotten 11,000 people registered to vote.
It’s personal for him. He’s a “Dreamer” – a recipient of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals programme, which protects immigrants from deportation if they came to the country as children.
“We need people voting for issues like a pathway to citizenship. We want our local officials to represent everybody,” he told me, switching back and forth from Spanish to English effortlessly.
“There’s people like me who have been here for over 30 years. We’re not leaving, this is my home.”
“I’m just out here getting more people involved, regardless of party affiliation,” he added. “We’re telling them – your vote not only matters to you, but it matters to me as your neighbour.”
Belgium
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