The prevalence of hate language aimed against immigrants during this presidential election has been harshly criticized and condemned by several groups.
It has also spurred pro immigrant groups like La Red Mexicana de Líderes y Organizaciones Migrantes, a Chicago-based organization, to focus more effort into getting out the Latino vote, a sleeping giant in US politics that has remained so for several years.
According to the organization’s website, Latinos account for 57 million inhabitants in the United States — 18 percent of the entire population — and a little more than half of them are eligible to vote in the November 2016 election.
Almost half of them (44 percent) are part of the millennial generation — those under age 35.
There are 17 million Latinos under the age of 18. And each year, 803,000 of them reach the voting age. Thus the growing power Latinos can have at the polling station.
But the problem is that too many don’t vote.
In 2012, only 48 percent (around 11.2 million) eligible Latinos voters actually showed up to do so.
La Red Mexicana de Líderes y Organizaciones Migrantes has launched the “Voto Digno 2016” campaign in an effort to encourage young Latinos to participate in this election.
The campaign involves a three-minute video of young people encouraging others to register to vote and head out to the polls. The video is being disseminated through social media.
“We want Latino youth to remember they speak for their families and their community, not just themselves, when they cast their vote,” the group stated in its campaign announcement.
“We have 23 million people born in this country who are of Mexican descent,” said Ángela Sanbrano, Red Mexicana executive director. “Many of them are young and eligible to vote. This hate language is aimed at them and their families. We urge them to reject this rhetoric with their vote.”
La Red MexIcana de Líderes y Organizaciones Migrantes is a link between immigrant leaders and organizations based in the United States, offering tools to influence the development and implementation of public policies that affect immigrants where they live in the United States and where they come from in Mexico.