How immigrants who just became US citizens plan to vote in the 2024 election
LOS ANGELES — In the scenic hills overlooking Los Angeles, nine immigrants from countries from Lebanon and Germany to Taiwan and Mexico took the oath to become new U.S. citizens at an outdoor naturalization ceremony with the Hollywood sign in the background.
With the US presidential election As it quickly approached, some said voting was their top priority, and they knew who they wanted to win the 2024 election. A woman from France visited the website during the October ceremony to register to vote in California so she could cast her vote.
To become a naturalized U.S. citizen, immigrants must, in most cases, live in the United States for five years with a green card, and pass English and citizenship tests.
Many said they hoped to travel with a U.S. passport, participate in political life — and, above all, feel like full members of the country they love and have called home for years.
Chia Hsin Tsai, 33, came to the United States from Taiwan for 11 years to study for her master’s degree. Now a marketing executive in the food industry, she applied to become a citizen in March, hoping to make official how she feels about the US.
She said she would definitely vote in the upcoming presidential election, but declined to say for whom.
“Being part of the country I live in makes me feel special,” she said. “I live in this country. I have the right to vote and everything.”
Her boyfriend, Eric Boyce, said it’s inspiring to see her worrying about her visa expiring and working so hard to pursue her career.
“She became an American not because she took a test, but because she was here for 11 years and learned everything about the US,” he said.
Floriane Turcat, 37, said she was inspired by American films and television while growing up in France and hoped to one day become an actor.
Now Turcat acts in films and on stage. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, a web developer.
While waiting in line to take her oath, Turcat visited the website to register to vote in California to ensure she would do so in time to cast her ballot for the presidential elections. She said she wants to vote for it Vice President Kamala Harris about caring for women’s rights and reproductive rights in particular.
“I want to be part of the political movement of this country,” Turcat said. “Even though California is a Democratic state, I want to be able to participate and have a voice and say it’s important to me. I want to stand up for my rights.”
She said she filed for naturalization in July and was pleased the process was completed so quickly that she could register to vote.
“I have always been fascinated by this country,” says Turcat, who has lived in the US for seven years. “For me it was the symbol of freedom. I just loved everything about it.”
Phoenix De Los Angeles Lopez Daal said he always wanted to become an American citizen. He said he believes in the country’s ideals, including freedom of speech, freedom of religion and the right to bear arms.
He said voting was not an important reason to naturalize, but he hopes to cast a ballot for former ones in the presidential election President Donald Trump.
The 31-year-old set dresser came to the US from Venezuela with his mother and sister at the age of six.
Lopez Daal said he would not join any political party, but believes the Democrats have moved too far to the political left – something he said he has also seen happening in his native country.
“There was a time when Venezuela was a great country, and the things the Democrats are doing led to the downfall of Venezuela. So I wouldn’t really want this to be a thing here,” he said.
Dennis Beier, a 46-year-old film producer from Germany, said he saw the US as a place of freedom and opportunity when he grew up in Berlin.
He said he hopes to vote for Harris in this year’s presidential election, largely because of concerns about the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
“I just want to keep this whole democracy thing intact,” Beier said. “And people have to have respect when they lose, that’s part of it, and if you can’t do that, you shouldn’t be in politics.”
Bejer said he has always liked the US since he first visited New York in 2001.
“It was kind of like a competition, I was like, ‘Yes, this is it,’” said Beier, who lives in Los Angeles.
Beier said he wanted to be naturalized to join his American children and his Canadian wife, who recently became a U.S. citizen. He said he had previously waited for Germany to change its laws, making it easier to take on additional citizenship.
“I’m very happy that it has finally happened,” he said.