Angel Garcia, left, and Rafael Arvizu-Derr, canvassers for Mi Familia Vota, carry lawn signs as they set out to talk to voters in their homes in southwest Denver on Friday, Nov. 3, 2006. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Legal immigrants are becoming citizens so they can vote against Donald Trump. The Donald’s political rhetoric about Mexicans has spawned the “Donald Trump wave,” an unprecedented get-out-the-vote effort among immigration advocates.
“Trump is a great incentive for Hispanics to become citizens and vote against that type of thinking — anti-immigrant, anti-woman, anti-American,” said Juan Hernandez, a Fort Worth political consultant and co-founder of the Hispanic Republicans of Texas. “I say that as a Republican.”
Mexican consulates are encouraging immigrants who are U.S. citizens to practice their rights and vote. According to the Star-Telegram, a February citizenship workshop at the Mexican Consulate in Dallas drew more than 300 people, prompting officials to conduct another in March. Immigration reform has long been a big issue among Hispanics, but Trump’s popularity has served as a wake-up call that immigrants need to vote.
In the past, many resident immigrants from Mexico — legal immigrants with green cards — trusted the U.S. government and felt valued, so they didn’t rush in to apply for citizenship.
But now they see co-workers and neighbors supporting Trump and are fearful of what could happen if he becomes president.
There are 27.3 million Hispanics eligible to vote this year. Of those, 1.2 million became citizens between 2012 and 2016.
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