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Registered Immigrant Voter Will Cast Her Ballot For The First Time This November — But Not For Donald Trump

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Registered Republican Rochelle will vote for the very first time this upcoming November — just not for Donald Trump.

“Immigrants are what makes America great,” Rochelle said in a new blog post from 1199 SEIU earlier this month. Rochelle became a US citizen in 2013 after living in the United States for over two decades, inspired by becoming involved in her union:

Rochelle arrived from the Philippines in 1994 and has been working as a Certified Nursing Assistant in Florida’s Treasure Coast for 16 years. She never applied for citizenship before because it was expensive and there were always other priorities that came first.

“Right when I became a Union Delegate in 2013 is when I realized how important it was to get involved and participate in politics. It was an eye-opener of how urgent it was to become a citizen to be able to exercise my rights and have a voice,” said Rochelle. “I’m now a citizen and finally I have a voice, nobody can tell me ‘you’re not a citizen, go back to your country’.”

That’s why she does not want to vote for Trump. She knows that Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric also affects her and inspires discrimination and hate towards her family and her community.

Her thoughts go even further. “Electing the President of the United States is a big responsibility because it’s an influential leader not only in this country, but in the entire world.

As an Asian-American, I also care about what the new President would do regarding my country of origin and I don’t think Trump will be the best option.”