As we approach the end of President Trump’s first term, it’s important to understand why and how he has inflicted such damage on our nation’s immigration system and advanced his anti-immigrant, racist agenda. Trump has been able to systematically undermine our immigration laws and principles of fundamental fairness because our immigration system is fundamentally broken. It has been for decades. 

Even before Trump sat in the Oval Office, we routinely expected policy responses like extreme vetting, deportations without due process, and blank checks from Congress and the executive branch for a massive, unhelmed immigration enforcement system. As our enforcement system grew, Congress was repeatedly unable to pass a pathway to citizenship for the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in our country. This is how Trump and Stephen Miller, the driver of his immigration policy, are able to issue policies that inflict pain on tens of millions of people.

So, what’s next? How do we move forward when the damage is so sweeping?

An inclusive pathway to citizenship for the estimated 11 million undocumented and stateless people living in the United States — without caveats or tradeoffs — is the first move. Citizenship for these 11 million people would mean that no president could rip the rug out from underneath more than 700,000 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, 320,000 Temporary Protected Status (TPS) holders, or the millions of long-time residents whose lives and status have come to depend on who is in the White House. It would also mean that federal lawmakers across the political spectrum could no longer use undocumented and stateless immigrants as leverage for justifying even more enforcement.

Both political parties have used immigrants to defend unprecedented investment in immigration enforcement. Trump repeatedly used Dreamers as bargaining chips to fund his campaign promise for more border walls. In 2013, a pathway to citizenship in an ultimately unsuccessful Senate bill was predicated on a last-minute, back-room deal for a $46 billion “border surge,” adding unprecedented surveillance, agents, and enforcement to an already militarized border. 

A clean bill, one that provides a broad and inclusive pathway to citizenship for the 11 million people without increasing funding for immigration and border enforcement, is the solution. And as we fight for this path to citizenship in Congress, we will continue to pursue relief for Dreamers and those eligible for TPS and Deferred Enforcement Departure, whose lives have been thrown into limbo by the Trump administration’s revocation of these policies.

The last four years have shown us what our existing enforcement infrastructure is capable of: A record high of 55,000 immigrants incarcerated per day; children and babies ripped out of their parents arms by Border Patrol agents; an end to asylum; forced hysterectomies in detention; a rise in contracts with private prison corporations; unprecedented raids on communities; tear gassed and malnourished children caged at the border; protestors snatched off the streets of Portland into unmarked vehicles; and extensive policy changes that will take decades to undo. We need a serious overhaul of our system to address these harms, but we need a path to citizenship that keeps families together, and one that rejects pairing this path with tradeoffs for more enforcement and border militarization. 

Immigrants, their loved ones, and our nation deserve better than the racist policies of the Trump era, and we will keep fighting for it. As our nation reckons with our legacy of white supremacy, providing full citizenship to millions of Black and Brown immigrants is critical to realizing the promise our nation has yet to deliver, despite exploiting their labor for generations. In spite of this history, immigrants continue to step up as essential workers, working on the front lines of this pandemic and risking their lives to protect our loved ones and communities.

Nationwide, there are approximately 19.8 million “essential” immigrant workers, risking their lives under the constant threat of exposure. There are 1.7 million immigrant medical and health care workers caring for COVID-19 patients, and 27,000 DACA recipients working as doctors, nurses and paramedics. Undocumented immigrants pay billions of dollars in federal taxes each year, and yet have been inexplicably left out of COVID-relief packages. Immigrants are essential, now and for years to come — they are part of our communities, our families, and our shared history. 

We need a clean, inclusive pathway to citizenship that doesn’t include more tradeoffs and doesn’t scapegoat immigrants deemed less than deserving. Because “we the people” means all of us, regardless of immigration status.

Madhuri Grewal, Federal Immigration Policy Counsel, ACLU National Political Advocacy Department

The younger you are, the less likely you are to vote. At least, that’s been the enduring trend in American politics for decades. But that trend is beginning to shift — today’s young voters are more engaged than ever before, and if they turn out in 2020 like they did in 2018, they could significantly impact the outcome of the election.

So what does it take to get younger voters to the polls?

We take on this question in the latest episode of At the Polls, alongside Michael McDonald, a voter turnout researcher at the University of Florida, and Harvard University student and youth activist David Hogg, a survivor of the Parkland school shooting in 2018.

At the Polls: How Do We Get Young People to Vote?

At the Polls: How Do We Get Young People to Vote?

American voting rates have hovered in the mid-50s for most of recent history. As these things go, that is not great. But it’s even worse with younger voters. In the 2014 midterms, less than 20 percent of voters under 30 cast a ballot. We saw a shi...

American voting rates have hovered in the mid-50s for most of recent history. As these things go, that is not great. But it’s even worse with younger voters. In the 2014 midterms, less than 20 percent of voters under 30 cast a ballot. We saw a shi...

Listen to this episode

Turnout is expected to be higher than usual for all voters in the 2020 election, potentially exceeding 65 percent. The last time voter turnout was that high was in 1908. And because Millennials are the largest voting bloc in the electorate — by numbers alone — they have the power to overhaul the political system. It’s their future, and they know it.

Listen and subscribe to stay updated on all things Election 2020.

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This post originally appeared as an op-ed in South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

Some 2.5 million Floridians know the feeling of walking into a United States immigration office with anticipation: the shiny halls, nerves running high and a mix of emotions in the air. Those who are there for the first time are hoping to have their right to live in this country recognized. Others are finalizing their journey, taking the last crucial step toward citizenship.

Those reading this who are not familiar with the process might be surprised to learn that becoming a naturalized citizen — aside from waiting several years and paying a hefty fee — requires first taking an oral, written, literacy and civics exam.

For me, this was the exam of a lifetime. My close friends knew how much I prepared for it. I carried around my study booklet and handmade flashcards everywhere, and even quizzed people who crossed my path on American government, history and geography. Unwittingly, these impromptu quizzes sparked many conversations with colleagues and friends on the meaning of American citizenship.

Finally becoming a citizen meant keeping my family together for good. To some, it means a shot at a dream job, serving this country or a greater guarantee of access to an American education. To others, a final promise of stability as well as safety from persecution for simply being who they are in the country where they happened, through no choice of their own, to be born.

In the U.S. last year, there were 834,000 newly naturalized citizens, yet, only half of eligible naturalized voters are registered to vote in the upcoming election. In Florida, where one in five residents are foreign-born, we had 95,975 newly naturalized citizens in 2018. Last year, 880,000 legal permanent residents in Florida were eligible to naturalize, but for one reason or another were unable to complete the citizenship process and register to vote.

As Florida’s immigrant community continues to grow, so should our impact at the ballot box. Becoming a citizen also meant becoming a voice for those in my community who cannot speak up, or fear speaking up. Walking into a voting booth for the first time was a foreign and exhilarating experience. It was a unique opportunity to affirm my values and be a voice for those like my mother who are still on a path to citizenship but not yet able to cast a vote in this country. It was also an opportunity to reaffirm my belief in the potential of this country, despite the atrocities happening around us.

As a new citizen, I feel a responsibility to also speak for the 10-12 million people who live among us and are still holding on for a chance to feel like they fully belong, and are valued for the contributions they are already making to our country. I feel a duty to be a voice for the many people whose citizenship process was unfairly delayed these past three years and whose eligibility to vote will not be granted in this crucial election.

By choosing to vote, you are expressing the values that matter to you and are taking charge of how policies will affect you and your community. Locally, your elected officials will make decisions that affect access to transportation, the quality of education, the distribution of local funds and how we police Black and brown communities. Nationally, our elected officials have the power to decide on our country’s COVID-19 response, the strength and direction of our economy, immigration policies like the detention and separation of children and families, access to quality healthcare and the equitable treatment and inclusion of historically marginalized communities. These issues affect us all, and the choices citizens like you make will impact our daily lives.

I challenge you, my fellow new citizens, to register to vote, and get out and vote as early as possible. Advocate for what you believe is best for you and your community and give a voice to your family, your friends and your coworkers, who are still dreaming of one day becoming citizens. You have the power to make a difference. Our democracy depends on it.

The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 5. Visit registertovoteflorida.gov.