Peninsula 360 Press [P360P].. Ethnic Media Services
Editor's note: Voters in the Latino community comprise an estimated 10% of U.S. citizens living abroad. Overseas, many actively support the Democratic Party, reports Katarina Machmer, who covers immigration issues in Europe for EMS.
Berlin. The same issues that could drive more Latino voters to the polls this November are mobilizing their counterparts living abroad, say expatriate voters interviewed in Europe.
"We hadn't noticed such voter registration activity in a long time," says David Coronado, an expatriate from the Texas Latino community who now lives in Madrid, Spain, where he is social media coordinator for Democrats Abroad (DA), the official arm of the Democratic Party for Americans living outside the United States. DA strives to provide expatriates with Democratic representation in the U.S. government and to elect Democratic candidates by mobilizing Americans abroad to vote.
Coronado says DA expects at least half a million votes from abroad in this election, most of them from Democrats.
"Political leaders send signals and are the ones who are shaping the culture. Both the Latino community in the United States and in Europe receive the signal that they are not being valued," he explains.
Expatriates normally vote by mail or, depending on the state in which they are registered, may vote by e-mail or fax.
Voters in the Latino community are estimated to make up more than 10% of U.S. citizens abroad, says Amerika Garcia Grewal, president of the DA Hispanic Caucus, which advocates for issues of concern to the global Hispanic community. The number of expatriates in the Latino community who can vote Democratic is unknown, but in Europe, many of them lean Democratic and show their support through their activism, even if they cannot vote.
Part of this situation is due to the fact that Democrats Abroad are more organized than their counterpart, Republicans Abroad. While Democrats Abroad send delegates to the Democratic National Convention, Republicans Abroad do not belong to the U.S. Republican Party, so they cannot participate in its national convention.
In addition, Republicans Abroad, unlike Democrats Abroad, does not have a group of Hispanic individuals to help mobilize expatriates in the Latino community to vote or become activists.
In Spain, where many expatriates from the Latino community reside, Republicans Abroad has only one registration, while Democrats Abroad has four. Germany and other European countries do not have as many expatriates from the Latino community; however, they remain home to Hispanic Democratic voters and activists.
Onélica Andrade, who left California for Belgium in 2016, was one of seven delegates from the Latino community chosen by Democrats Abroad to participate in this year's Democratic National Convention, which took place virtually. She says members of the Latino community she has met through Democrats Abroad, where she holds a seat on the Hispanic political board, are actively trying to recruit U.S. voters.
"Even though we are few people from the Latino community, we are committed and loud. We may not encourage people from the Latino community to vote because there aren't that many around us, but we encourage other Americans," says Andrade.
Immigrant rights activist Monsy Hernandez also believes in the ripple effect of political activism, noting, "I have noticed a difference in the people I have talked to, also in my American friends who have seen the work I do."
Hernandez has been fighting on behalf of the Latino community since she was 18 years old. Born in Mexico City, she lived undocumented in South Carolina for 15 years. Then, in 2017, due to the state's restrictive measures that affect the dreamers and immigrants, she self-deported to Germany with her husband, who had previously studied there.
"My abilities to survive and succeed were unattainable for me in South Carolina-and in the United States in general-once Trump took office," Hernandez explains. Because she was unable to obtain U.S. citizenship and therefore could not become an official member of Democrats Abroad, she volunteers with the DA Hispanic Caucus for two years as an unofficial member.
"Whether you live in Europe, in the United States or somewhere in Latin America, we all belong to the Latino community," Hernandez says. "And we cannot allow our community to continue to struggle in a country that owes much of its wealth to [thanks to the work of] our shoulders."
Onélica Andrade agrees, adding that the United States plays a key role in international politics. "We have infants in detention centers, and the world is seeing it. We are normalizing criminal acts. This is an absolutely wrong situation."
Daniel Garcia, an expatriate from the Latino community in California, also sees immigration as one of the most important issues for the Latino community worldwide.
"What unites the Latino community globally is the migration experience," says Garcia, editor-in-chief and social media for Democrats Abroad in Alicante, Spain, and founder of the Nuestras Voces, Nuestro Futuro campaign, which targets younger expatriate voters. "In the United States, we need immigration reform, and I'm looking forward to fighting for it from Europe."
Working with David Coronado, Garcia creates advertisements for Why you should vote for social media. They tell the stories of expats voting for Democrats from abroad to encourage others to vote.
In addition to immigration reform, affordable education and universal health care are at stake in the 2020 presidential election, not only for the Latino community worldwide but, as Coronado says, for "all those who are losing something." Universal health care in Spain is a whole new experience for him: "Not having to worry about how to pay for a doctor's visit gives me great peace of mind and makes me passionate about fighting for this cause.
Monsy Hernandez had a similar experience when she arrived in Germany. A doctor she visited could not believe that she could not get health insurance or medical care during the 15 years she lived in the United States. In her South Carolina neighborhood, a doctor's visit was literally and financially out of reach. College was also inaccessible.
"Here in Germany, I can take German classes because they are affordable," Hernandez says. "It was inconceivable, but I shouldn't be fazed by this kind of situation." Instead, she encourages the Latino community abroad to keep fighting for fair wages and access to health care, as well as higher education.
Onélica Andrade hopes that these issues will unite Latino voters worldwide and that they will elect Biden - the "right" candidate, she says - whose presidency will help secure needed reforms. However, much remains to be done: After Biden's election, community members will need to redouble their efforts to hold political leaders accountable to their campaign promises and, just as importantly, to listen to the concerns of minority communities.
