I am a first-generation immigrant. My parents were both born in Colombia, and while I was born in the United States, I was raised surrounded by our culture. As a first-generation immigrant of Colombian descent, I grew up feeling as if I have a foot here and a foot there, or in other words, I am not from here nor from there. Walking through this world, I have always been asked the weighted question of, “Where are you really from?” or “Where are you from originally?”
 
As a Florida native, my response has always been, “I am from Florida, born and raised,” but that does not not satisfy the anticipated response of most folks who ask me that question. I am Colombian, I am also American and I am proud. Growing up with these dual identities has taught me so much. I will always be grateful, and honor my ancestors that paved the way for me.

This is why I have chosen to honor Black and Brown femme revolutionaries that fought for my constitutional right to vote. As young Latinx people, we should exercise that right in honor of those who cannot. There are many people that never get the chance to vote or wait their entire lives to cast a ballot.
 
I have a close friend that moved here at the age of three and finally at the age of 28, became a citizen. Unfortunately, my friend’s story is not unlike the reality of most immigrants in this country.Waiting years or even decades to become eligible to apply for citizenship - even if you have access to this avenue - is the tragic reality of our broken immigration system. There are millions of people with Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or other various immigration statuses who don’t currently have a pathway to citizenship. While most of these people, who have spent a majority of their lives working and contributing their money through taxes, as well as their creativity and culture to this country, may never get the chance to exercise their voice in our democracy. The power of the polls is electing people to power who reflect our communities,  listen to our communities, and who are actively invested in creating change by adopting policy that uplifts historically oppressed Black and brown communities.

But the power to create change doesn’t stop at the polls. I have channelled my advocacy for my community with my gift of storytelling. Through my work, I have had the opportunity to support and work alongside amazing organizations that uplift the voices of Latinx folks, such as Miami Workers Center, Florida Immigrant Coalition, Poderosa Is Her Power, Office of New Americans Miami Dade and so many more.
 
On My Block and Get Away With Murder Actress, Jessica Garcia of Mexican and Cuban descent, shared, “We as Latinx (people) come in all different shades and backgrounds and it’s our responsibility to make sure we don’t continue to divide ourselves. We’re stronger together but it’s going to take a lot of uncomfortable conversations to get there.” Through involvement in local organizations and programs, Latinx folks can find community, a safe space to be themselves and share the love of their cultures.
 
It is within these spaces that I have been able to engage in conversations with my community that celebrates our cultural differences, and creates a spirit of solidarity to pursue change that will make better lives for us all. It starts with us. Not politicians.

In support of this work and in celebration of Hispanic/Latinx Heritage Month, here are three things you can do.

1. Vote
   Encourage three friends to vote and make a plan for the upcoming election. Will you vote by mail, vote early, or vote on Election Day? The choice is yours, but make sure to make one!
2. Take the Census
   Ensure you count and are represented. Completing the census is a way to make sure your community is represented and funded. Also, keep in mind that there isn’t a citizenship question on the Census and it will not be shared with ICE
3. Volunteer or Invest in local Latinx organizations
   Find your community. Most of us have either lived the immigrant experience or know someone who has. Volunteering, investing and creating your own support circle is important.

Commemorating our Hispanic/Latinx heritage is more than a monthly observance. It is a call to action to embrace and improve the lives of those in your community.

Monica Mahecha (she/ella) is queer latinx, pisces that has over 30 lovely plant darlings in her life. She works as a digital strategist and fights to uplift voices of Black and brown folx. She is also a soccer fan, player, trainer and founder of a women's league; created to provide a competitive and safe space to play. You can keep up with Monica on Instagram: @livinNexplorin

In the latest attempt to silence conversations about race and gender equity deemed “anti-American,” President Trump issued an executive order last week banning federal entities and contractors from providing employees with training on “divisive concepts” and “harmful ideologies” related to race and gender.

What Trump deems “harmful ideologies” are actually concepts diversity trainings use to educate individuals on the systemic barriers and discrimination people of color and other marginalized groups still face in this country today across our institutions — from our workplaces and schools to our criminal legal system. The recent Black Lives Matter and #MeToo movements have shown that people across the country fully acknowledge the realities of systemic racism and sexism are still alive and well, and the need to dismantle the systems and pursue change is more important than ever. But rather than engage with these conversations taking place across the country, the Trump administration seeks to silence individuals and impose an alternate version of American history — one that erases the legacy of discrimination and lived experiences of Black and Brown people, women and girls, and LGBTQ+ individuals.
 
Our country needs to acknowledge its history of systemic racism and sexism and reckon with present day impacts of racial and gender discrimination. Slavery and its legacy of oppression are parts of American history that Black people are still facing today. Women, especially women of color, continue to be segregated in lower-status and lower-wage fields in the workplace, and are paid less than men across the board.

Halting all diversity training could set back progress in addressing these systemic issues, among others — including in the workplace. Talking about racism and sexism is not harmful to employees. Many employers host trainings on these issues precisely because they contribute to a workplace that is more equitable and inclusive. Instead, President Trump’s authoritarian leaning executive order presents the real danger, and takes us steps backwards in achieving full equity in this country. It also violates our First Amendment right to free speech.

President Trump’s executive order unconstitutionally requires every single individual or company with a federal contract to certify that they won’t provide trainings on so-called “divisive concepts,” even on the contractor’s own time and dime. In other words, the order effectively gags federal contractors from talking with their own employees about issues of the most profound national importance, such as the impact of systemic racism and sexism in our society. This is a blatant attempt to leverage the federal government’s vast financial resources to suppress speech about race and gender that the Trump administration disfavors.

Trump’s executive order borrows from a long-discredited playbook. In the McCarthy era, many states passed laws requiring public employees to certify that they were not members of the Communist Party or other “treasonous,” “seditious,” or “subversive” groups. In response to numerous legal challenges, including several cases brought by the ACLU, the Supreme Court firmly established that the government cannot require people to disavow participation in constitutionally protected speech or association in order to keep their jobs. Whatever power the government may have over its employees and contractors, it does not have the power to dictate their private expression on matters of public concern, including discussions about race and gender discrimination.

The Supreme Court has also rejected attempts to categorically ban or burden private expression by government employees and contractors. Such categorical bans present the gravest threat to First Amendment freedoms because they directly suppress an extraordinarily large amount of protected speech, chill even more speech before it happens, and distort discussion on matters of public concern. Of course, President Trump’s executive order is expressly designed to suppress and distort public discussion about issues that Trump considers “divisive,” such as race and gender justice. The Trump administration does not trust people to think for themselves on these issues, and so it has decided to think for them. Fortunately, the Constitution does not give President Trump that authority.

Sarah Hinger, Staff Attorney, ACLU Racial Justice Program,
& Brian Hauss, Staff Attorney, ACLU Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project

As we approach the end of President Trump’s first term, it’s important to understand why and how he has inflicted such damage on our nation’s immigration system and advanced his anti-immigrant, racist agenda. Trump has been able to systematically undermine our immigration laws and principles of fundamental fairness because our immigration system is fundamentally broken. It has been for decades. 

Even before Trump sat in the Oval Office, we routinely expected policy responses like extreme vetting, deportations without due process, and blank checks from Congress and the executive branch for a massive, unhelmed immigration enforcement system. As our enforcement system grew, Congress was repeatedly unable to pass a pathway to citizenship for the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in our country. This is how Trump and Stephen Miller, the driver of his immigration policy, are able to issue policies that inflict pain on tens of millions of people.

So, what’s next? How do we move forward when the damage is so sweeping?

An inclusive pathway to citizenship for the estimated 11 million undocumented and stateless people living in the United States — without caveats or tradeoffs — is the first move. Citizenship for these 11 million people would mean that no president could rip the rug out from underneath more than 700,000 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, 320,000 Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, or the millions of long-time residents whose lives and status have come to depend on who is in the White House. It would also mean that federal lawmakers across the political spectrum could no longer use undocumented and stateless immigrants as leverage for justifying even more enforcement.

Both political parties have used immigrants to defend unprecedented investment in immigration enforcement. Trump repeatedly used Dreamers as bargaining chips to fund his campaign promise for more border walls. In 2013, a pathway to citizenship in an ultimately unsuccessful Senate bill was predicated on a last-minute, back-room deal for a $46 billion “border surge,” adding unprecedented surveillance, agents, and enforcement to an already militarized border. 

A clean bill, one that provides a broad and inclusive pathway to citizenship for the 11 million people without increasing funding for immigration and border enforcement, is the solution. And as we fight for this path to citizenship in Congress, we will continue to pursue relief for Dreamers and those eligible for TPS and Deferred Enforcement Departure, whose lives have been thrown into limbo by the Trump administration’s revocation of these policies.

The last four years have shown us what our existing enforcement infrastructure is capable of: A record high of 55,000 immigrants incarcerated per day; children and babies ripped out of their parents arms by Border Patrol agents; an end to asylum; forced hysterectomies in detention; a rise in contracts with private prison corporations; unprecedented raids on communities; tear gassed and malnourished children caged at the border; protestors snatched off the streets of Portland into unmarked vehicles; and extensive policy changes that will take decades to undo. We need a serious overhaul of our system to address these harms, but we need a path to citizenship that keeps families together, and one that rejects pairing this path with tradeoffs for more enforcement and border militarization. 

Immigrants, their loved ones, and our nation deserve better than the racist policies of the Trump era, and we will keep fighting for it. As our nation reckons with our legacy of white supremacy, providing full citizenship to millions of Black and Brown immigrants is critical to realizing the promise our nation has yet to deliver, despite exploiting their labor for generations. In spite of this history, immigrants continue to step up as essential workers, working on the front lines of this pandemic and risking their lives to protect our loved ones and communities.

Nationwide, there are approximately 19.8 million “essential” immigrant workers, risking their lives under the constant threat of exposure. There are 1.7 million immigrant medical and health care workers caring for COVID-19 patients, and 27,000 DACA recipients working as doctors, nurses and paramedics. Undocumented immigrants pay billions of dollars in federal taxes each year, and yet have been inexplicably left out of COVID-relief packages. Immigrants are essential, now and for years to come — they are part of our communities, our families, and our shared history. 

We need a clean, inclusive pathway to citizenship that doesn’t include more tradeoffs and doesn’t scapegoat immigrants deemed less than deserving. Because “we the people” means all of us, regardless of immigration status.

Madhuri Grewal, Federal Immigration Policy Counsel, ACLU National Political Advocacy Department