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Submitted by Cindy Nava, NM Senate District 9 candidate
On Monday, February 22, 2021- I became a U.S. Citizen. Twenty five years after arriving in the U.S. as a child.
My road to citizenship wasn’t like most. In 2015, I became a beneficiary of the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) program, which was created by President Obama in 2012. DACA keeps families together by safeguarding eligible immigrants from deportation who came to the United States when they were children and provides temporary work authorization. However, DACA does not provide a pathway to citizenship, and those of us who have had the ability to transition into permanent legal status have done so through a spouse.
Some of you know what it is like to become a naturalized citizen when you are an adult, rather than it being bestowed upon you by the accident of birth. Furthermore, becoming a citizen during the pandemic shifted all usual practices. I went in to take my citizenship exam at the Albuquerque USCIS office, and upon its passage I was sent to a booth where I was given a written oath and a flag to immediately be sworn in as a U.S. Citizen. No ceremony. No celebration. But I celebrated the meaning of such a monumental day with everything I am.
Like most, I was filled with a sense of extraordinary pride in our country and a deep appreciation for the opportunities this land provides. I saw it first-hand too, remembering the countless friends, neighbors, nurses, and teachers who helped my family as we were growing up, trying to get a foothold in a new country. That is really what the American Dream is about—working hard, helping others, and seeing that our fortunes and futures are intertwined.
When I cast a vote for the first time in Sandoval County, all of those feelings tripled, a photo album of gratitude for all of the people who helped me to get where I was.
That is why I take voting, elections, and public service so seriously. They are fundamental to our democracy. And as we have seen these past four years, our democracy is fragile.
You will not find a single person more driven and committed to protect our democracy than me. With that democracy, we can work together to improve our public schools. We can debate one another and find common solutions to reducing crime. We can create more freedom for women to make their own healthcare choices, without politicians making those decisions for them. Democracy is the engine that makes all of these things possible.
But without democracy, we are left to a single authority, with no debate, no recourse, and no voice for the will of the people.
Former President Trump and others seek to dismantle our democracy—my opponent is one of them. There is nothing more dangerous than their beliefs and actions, and we must all work together to protect our democracy and way of life from their attack.
This November, as you go to the polls with your family and friends, I hope you have a moment to reflect on the tremendous privilege it is to have the right to vote and to have a voice in your government. I am so proud of this place we all call home, and I hope you will join me so that even more families have the opportunity to pursue their own version of the American Dream, right here in New Mexico.
First if all, we are a Constitutional Democratic Republic Cindy from Chihuahua Mexico. Seeking safe secure elections is not dismantling Democracy. Coming to this country illegally with an entitled mentality is what dismantles Democracy. Coming to this country uninvited and straining resources that are ment for citizens is dismantling Democracy. Seeking a new American Dream for New Mexico because you feel the American Dream is not good enough eventhough our country has been so generous to you. You are an entitled brat. Go back to Chihuahua Mexico where you were accidentally born. You’re an idiot! I hope District 9 sees right through you and votes for your American born constituent who actually knows her county.