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Workers and immigrants deserve elected officials who fight to improve their living conditions

In my 3,000-member union, the choice about the next leader is clear. One candidate is trying to scapegoat immigrants to divide us, while the other candidate supports an earned path to citizenship. As November approaches, workers like me are determined to vote for candidates who fully support the rights of working people.

I was born in South Sudan and grew up in the midst of civil war. I witnessed the horrors of family, friends and neighbors being murdered by the government. Children were kidnapped in the middle of the night and forced to take up arms as soldiers. Fearing for my safety, my mother urged me to flee. I embarked on a dangerous journey with other teenagers and was on the road for ten days until we reached the Ethiopian border. Raised and educated in refugee camps, I built a family, started a career and eventually sought refuge and a fresh start for a better life in America.

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Today, I proudly call Phoenix home, where I live with my wife and five children. I became a U.S. citizen two years ago and can't wait to cast my first vote in a presidential election. I work in a warehouse distribution center where I work with colleagues from all over the world, including Canada, Africa, Europe, and Asia. We all reflect different cultures; many of us immigrants are refugees, and we all strive for the American dream. Our shared work ethic and diverse backgrounds make us an important part of the American workforce.

Arizona's immigrant community makes up 13% of the state's population, with nearly half being naturalized U.S. citizens like myself. As new American voters living in a swing state, our votes carry significant weight in determining who will occupy the White House. This is especially important since the 2020 presidential election was decided in Arizona by just 10,000 votes.

As a proud new American, I use my vote to give a voice to the voiceless and help elect champions who support working people. When I first started working at the warehouse, I was wrongfully fired by my boss in retaliation for speaking out against his mistreatment and disrespect of workers. On one occasion, my boss expressed his disdain for workers who were not fluent in English. Thankfully, my union family stood by me and I got my job back. It was obvious that my boss was prejudiced against people of my background. Just as my union family stood behind me, our elected leaders must stand by us and support workers and vigorously advocate for the rights of all working people, no matter where we come from or what color we are.

My fellow union members and I believe this election is about more than just preserving the right to organize. It's about restoring reproductive freedom for all women, without dictating when and how they can start a family. We support raising taxes to ensure corporations pay their fair share, rather than imposing higher taxes on hard-working Americans. We want to keep American families together and prevent mass roundups and deportations by state and local police forces.

The strength of our union is in treating immigrants humanely and recognizing their important role in our society and the U.S. economy. We believe in unity and the need to elect politicians who will fight for the rights of all working people. This November, the choice is crystal clear.

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