MAKING LIFE BETTER FOR IMMIGRANTS
Alicia Flores steers people toward citizenship, then encourages them to vote
Each week, this series will introduce you to an exceptional American who unites, rather than divides, our communities. To read more about the American profiled here and more average Americans doing exceptional things, visit onenation.usatoday.com.
What does it mean to you to be an American?
For me to be an American is to be able to help the community, to empower people to make the country greater than it is now. I help people to become U.S. citizens and to be able to vote. The candidates they choose are the ones who are going to change their lives.
What moment touched and motivated you to launch this effort?
I used to work in agriculture, and I saw how the community worked so hard and yet they didn’t have enough money to support their families. They worked in rain, on days when it was hot and on weekends. Yet they were living in poverty. I always wanted them to have better pay and a better life.
What gives you hope or what concerns you?
It worries me to see that now that we have a new president, families (without legal documents) are going to suffer separation. I see the community being afraid. Every day they come here, letting me know how afraid they are, how afraid they are when they go to work because we’ve seen people being picked up. It’s a lot of fear that the community is living with now.
What do you hope to accomplish through your efforts?
Some of the people who come to see me have a child who is a U.S. citizen ... and is now 21. They say, “I’ve been waiting for them to become adults. Now I can apply to become a permanent resident to get my legal status.” When I ask them how they came into the United States and they came without documents … that’s when I give them the bad news. They cannot adjust their status because they violated the law 20 years ago. I feel very bad to see the faces of these mothers and parents. This is the reason I cannot get tired working for immigration reform.