“NO VOTE, NO VOICE?”: ANALYZING UNDOCUMENTED LATINO POLITICAL ENGAGEMENT AND NONCITIZEN VOTING RIGHTS IN THE UNITED STATES

Abstract

Despite their citizenship status, undocumented Latinos are highly involved in local and federal policy issues. This paper will examine academic articles, journals, and local stories to describe examples of political engagement among undocumented Latinos, with a focus on DACA recipients, college students, and women, especially mothers. Data collected will demonstrate that undocumented Latinos engage in in policy advocacy through community organizing and by lobbying legislators. Additionally, it will describe how, regardless of their political engagement increasing the risk of deportation, undocumented Latinos that engage in policy advocacy report a greater sense of belonging in society. Patterns of undocumented Latino activism related to immigration policy issues in Little Village and Pilsen, two predominately Latino neighborhoods in Chicago, IL, will also be analyzed. The author describes how U.S. cities, as well as other countries, have worked on, and implemented, legislation to expand the voting rights of noncitizens and argues that local U.S. governments should pass immigration reform to expand the voting rights of noncitizens.