Growing up, I never put much thought into politics. I naively believed that things would stay the same and I wouldn’t have to live in fear. As I’ve grown older I’ve realized how elections shape people’s lives. 

When I was a kid, I remember being terrified that my parents and grandparents would be forced to leave the United States. I didn’t fully understand why or what the stakes were, but the fear was undeniable. During the Second Sino-Japanese War, my great-grandparents fled their small community in Canton, China, to Vietnam, praying every day that their family would survive. Then, during the Vietnam War, my grandparents had no other choice but to follow in their parents’ footsteps, making countless sacrifices to immigrate to the United States in search of a better life.

Learning this, the terror I felt as a child has only grown as I’ve come to understand how government decisions affect our lives. Those in power have the ability to implement policies that could destroy opportunities and the futures of immigrant families.

One of the most immediate effects following the election has been immigration policies. With stricter immigration laws such as the Immigration and Nationality Act and increased deportation endeavors, many families are haunted by the threat of separation.

My family, specifically my grandfather, a hard-working immigrant, lives in constant anxiety about losing his green card or facing deportation. Despite decades of contributing to the economy by owning and working in his restaurant since 1986, the uncertainty about his future weighs heavily on him and my family.

The Immigration and Nationality Act governs the process for immigrants to obtain and maintain green cards (“Green Card for employment-based immigrants”). However, now under the Trump administration, racial and ethnic profiling in enforcement activities has caused U.S. citizens to be mistakenly detained by immigration agents. New policies also require noncitizens to register with the federal government, classifying those who don’t comply as high-priority targets for deportation (Narea).

The outcome of elections determines who is in power in the US and what immigration policies are enforced. For example, under the Trump administration, policies such as the “zero tolerance” policy forced family separations at the US-Mexico border (Buchanan et al.).  In comparison, the Biden administration attempted to reverse these policies by restoring protections for Dreamers under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and proposing pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants (Hickson and Roy). This inconsistency emphasizes how elections directly affect immigrant families, making it essential for people to vote with these stakes in mind.

I remember sitting at the dinner table with my grandfather as he nervously read the news about new immigration policies. He worried about whether the process of renewing his green card would become more difficult or if a minor paperwork mistake could put him at risk of deportation.

Hearing his fear, I realized elections define our future and security. With immigration laws constantly changing, voting is a crucial responsibility that directly impacts countless families like mine.