For Mara Orozco, moving from Illinois to California was something she's been anticipating for months. But life in her new hometown was not what she expected.
Orozco attends Enterprise High School, which is a school that sits in Redding in Shasta County, an area where the political climate leans towards the conservative side. Although Orozco is used to encountering racist individuals, she says there have been more in the weeks leading up to the 2020 election, especially from students that support Donald Trump.
"Students are usually racist," Orozco said. "They call me names, but it seems like a light turned on in their brains, and I'm seeing a new side of them."
Although California is a blue state, Shasta county is a different story. In the previous election, 27.5 percent of people voted for the Democratic party, and 63.9 percent voted for the Republican party. However, Orozco has never been terrified as she is right now living in Redding, especially since her sister, Deya Orozco Porter, is a recipient of DACA, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.
"The neighbors don't know she's a DACA recipient, and I hope they never find out," Orozco said. "I hate the fact that my sister decided to settle here, but her husband's job brought her here."
As of right now, there's an abundance of DACA recipients waiting to hear back from renewing their DACA card, and Porter is one of them. Nonetheless, she's aware that whoever wins the Presidential Election, they're going to be the ones that can change the future of many individuals, including hers, says Porter.
"If Donald Trump wins, DACA is gonna go away," Porter said. "I don't have much faith in their being a immigration reform. Government officials have been promising this since before Clinton."
Juan Pedroza, an Assistant Professor in the Sociology Department in UC Santa Cruz, also mentions that if Trump wins, things aren't going to look great for DACA recipients. He says they will lose a lot of their current benefits.
"There will be people who lose their benefits, such as their employment authorization," Pedroza said. "People will need to drop out of school, and for some of them, they will need to work under the table."
There are a few individuals that don't have to be in the constant fear of whether or not DACA will be present in the following year, such as Eddie Munoz, who's Orozco cousin, and he isn't nervous about the results on November 3rd.
"I've been looking at the forecasts a lot, and it looks like Joe Biden is going to kill it," Munoz said. “However, that’s what happened last time. I thought Hillary Clinton was going to win, but like the rest of the viewers, I was surprised.”
Regardless, he says that he's conscious that if Trump wins, things will go downhill.
"It's pretty obvious it's going to go in a bad direction," Munoz said. "He's going to try to kick out a lot of immigrants, and he's going to try to revoke laws set in place."
Although Munoz is eligible to vote, there are a few individuals whose voices won't be counted, such as Megan Soto-Benitez.
Soto is currently a sophomore at Prospect High School. Although she's one of the 13 percent of Hispanics enrolled, she hasn't encountered any racism, unlike other individuals. Additionally, she doesn't have any DACA family members, but she's aware of what's at stake on November 3rd.
"I think the election is going to go awful. Either way, we have two awful candidates, and I feel like that's the way it's always been," Soto said. "We have the delusion of choice, but in reality, they don't care about us... they just want to get elected to be in a position of power."
Even though it shows that Biden is currently in the lead, Soto is aware of what happened in the previous election.
"Hillary Clinton was up in the polls last time, and Donald Trump, somehow, ended up winning," Soto said. "Trump has made it clear that they don't want immigrants or student immigrants here even if they're here on an educational visa of some sort."
Soto mentions that Trump has shown his dislike for DACA recipients throughout his entire four years in the presidency. A couple of months ago, The Trump administration wasn't accepting new applications for DACA recipients, which came a month after he attempted to end DACA.
“If he’s elected again, he will do everything in his power to get rid of it. He just doesn’t give up,” Soto said.
Trump's attempt to end DACA dates all the way 2017. During that time, General Jeff Sessions announced that the administration was rescinding the program, and since then, there have been numerous other attempts to stop it.
Even though Soto is not eligible to vote, she hopes that individuals that are, use their power even if it may seem like their voice doesn't count.
"He's going to keep on making empty promises," Soto said. "Don't think what will benefit yourself; think about what will benefit the majority. Don't be selfish."
Orozco is in a similar boat as Soto. Even though she's one year away from being able to vote, she hopes people use their power for the right reasons.
"Our world needs changing," Orozco said. "Vote for change. Vote for something better. We can’t keep going like this. If he wins again, I’m scared what’s going to happen. I’m scared for my sister."
Soto points out that she believes immigrants who are DACA recipients are more than what people think.
"I am sorry for the students that have to leave because there's a lot of violence happening back home," Orozco said. "A lot of students that come here want an education and a better life. They're contributing."
Even though Porter, Orozco’s older sister, is not currently a student, her sister agrees.
"We're not all criminals, rapists, or whatever Trump said about us," Orozco said. "We are here because this land is supposed to provide us opportunities that weren't available back home."
Porter is consciously aware that in a couple of days, her future will be determined, including the ones of her two young children. She says she is also worried for her children.
"I'm a mom of two young children, and they still need me," Porter said. "Nobody thought he was going to win in the last election, and now look at where we are. I'm scared that I won't be able to see my kids grow, and it shouldn't be like that."
In the end, Orozco hopes that people do what is best for this country. Whether or not they agree with what they're saying, she hopes that people can put their differences aside and vote for long-overdue change.
"Vote for my future and those that aren't able to vote," Orozco said. "This election is going to determine our next four years, so vote for what is best."
Comments