I Am An American And I Sure As Hell Won’t Vote For Donald Trump

By

I am a natural–born American Citizen. My parents came to this country illegally in the 1980s — not because they were criminals, or to commit crimes, but to have a better life for themselves and for their families. Thus, five fine children were born in the United States.

What Donald Trump is proposing is not only against the United States Constitution, it is inhumane. For those who side with his propositions with a business mindset, switch gears and please think of it as humans. Americans in my mind, are naturally go-getters — we want to prosper, we want to be the best. Immigrants are the same. Imagine yourself living in a home made of adobe mud, sharing humble meals with the flies, seeing your family become ill — sometimes an illness so minute as a common cold — for which you don’t have money to even afford cough syrup. What would you do as an American? Would you stay put in such misery, or would you look for that better life that you KNOW exists?

Many of you will say, well, get in line and file the proper way. If only the “proper way” was as easy as it sounds — do you not think the illegals would have formed this “line” a long time ago?! You need money to apply, you need money for representation. It’s not like the school lunch line you stand in and wait to be given your portion in an orderly fashion.

I am American. I have felt first-hand what it is like to have a family divided due to immigration laws. My father was deported a month to me graduating high school. My American heart was torn, my American self was depressed. My American self was lost at the young age of 18. Is this what Trump wants the American people to feel? I AM AMERICAN!

Before my father was deported, I would get home from school, watch the news with my family, Jorge Ramos on the daily, have dinner together, fight with my siblings over nothings. Then one day, it was all taken away from. I went from working my part-time job, to working 50-60 hours a week to make the mortgage payment, utilities, and survival. On top of trying to manage with living expenses, I had to send money to my father who was now in Mexico with NOTHING. He was here for almost 20 years. This was his home. This is where his family was.

At NO TIME did ANY American official check on my or my siblings’ well-being. They did not know if we ate or not, if we had a roof over our heads, or if we were okay. We had to figure it out and figure it out quick.

And please don’t get me started on the history of America. I guess the murdering, raping, and the genocide of Natives never happened. I’m sure if I ancestry.com’d Trump, I would find an illegal immigrant spouting out of his tree. American isn’t white, it isn’t brown, it is AMERICAN.

I admire you for waking up first and going to sleep last. For the selfless whose happiness is everyone else’s.

For you who left everything behind-your families, language, culture, fears and comfort in exchange for lonely holidays, dark nights and endless anxiety. I admire your bravery.

That person who brightens up a room with their smile, energy and positivity, no matter how cruel life has been. I admire you too.

These passages were influenced by my depression of being away from my family.

I am now 30 years old. I am better now, but it took many, many years to accept my new reality. I am American. I am Mexican-American.