Nicole Solis-Sison moved to America when she was seven years old.
asserted
she → move → America
Her parents and immediate family were fleeing the Philippine government and sought asylum in the U.S.
When they landed in Los Angeles, Solis-Sison thought their stay would be temporary.
asserted
stay → flee → Angeles
Eventually, once things calmed down in her home country, they would return.
asserted
they → calm → country
"The Philippine government pursued us in international immigration territory and demanded that we be sent back," she told NPR.
asserted
she → pursue → NPR
That's when an agent with the then-Immigration and Naturalization Services agency — which has since been renamed Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE — showed up to her house.
asserted
which → rename → house
They were prepared to be deported.
asserted
They → deport → ?
But after the agent interviewed her family, they weren't packing their bags back to Manila.
asserted
they → interview → Manila
"This particular INS [Immigration and Naturalization Services] agent suggested that we should file for asylum, given that we were on U.S. soil," Solis-Sison said.
uncertain
Sison → suggest → soil
An immigration agent, Solis-Sison said, gave her family the tools needed to stay in the U.S. legally.
asserted
Sison → say → U.S.
Earlier this year, after more than two decades navigating the immigration system, she became an American citizen.
asserted
she → navigate → system
Now, at the age of 34, Solis-Sison is voting in her very first election in New York City.
asserted
Sison → vote → City
I created my own voter guide and voter diary," she said.
asserted
she → create → guide
Many young voters, including Solis-Sison, are worried about their future.
asserted
voters → include → future
Will they be able to buy a home?
asserted
they → buy → home
How will they pay off their student loans?
asserted
they → pay → loans
Is it economical to start a family?
asserted
it → start → family
But this midterm election, the motivation for voting is a little different for some young people with immigrant family members and for newly naturalized citizens.
asserted
motivation → naturalize → citizens
Solis-Sison considers herself lucky.
asserted
herself → consider → ?
As she heads to the polls for the first time, she said her immigrant experience is informing her vote.
asserted
experience → head → vote
She feels a responsibility.
asserted
She → feel → ?
"I feel like I do have a weight to protect people who are going through this process, who are getting left behind and harmed because when I tell you, I've only gotten out of it with like a sliver of hope," she said.
asserted
she → feel → hope
The power of voting
Juan Escalante didn't know he was undocumented growing up in south Florida.
asserted
he → know → Florida
Originally from Venezuela, his family moved to the states when he was 11 years old.
asserted
he → move → states
He said he lived a normal life in America but that changed when he discovered he wasn't legally allowed to be in the U.S. around his junior year of high school.
asserted
he → say → school
"Basically, what ended up happening was that my parents paid for a lawyer who gave them really bad advice and not only gave them bad advice, but also mishandled their immigration case entirely," Escalante said.
asserted
Escalante → end → case
He added when something happens like that, the immigration application can't simply be refiled, "you're kind of out of the line entirely."
asserted
you → add → line
His immigration status changed under the Obama administration when the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program was established.
asserted
program → change → Arrivals
Under the program, he became the first person in his family to graduate college.
asserted
he → become → college
Then, in 2025, he became the first American citizen in his family.
asserted
he → become → family
This year, at 37, he will vote in his first general election.
asserted
he → vote → election
"Being a first time voter here in the United States is something that's profoundly personal and emotional for me because I understand the power of what a vote can do in service of the greater good, in service of the community, in service of the of the future that you want to see for your community, your state and your country."
"I'm proud to be an American citizen," Escalante said.
asserted
Escalante → understand → community
When he first received his mail-in ballot, Escalante had mixed emotions.
asserted
Escalante → receive → emotions
He was thrilled to cast a vote, but as a California resident, he found himself overwhelmed by the sheer size of his ballot.
asserted
himself → thrill → ballot
But that didn't stop him from meticulously researching every last ballot proposition and candidate.
asserted
that → stop → proposition
To him, it's something he's worked the majority of his life for.
asserted
he → work → life
"Despite the amount of bubbles that I had to fill in and the amount of research that I had to do, I never once took that for granted as I was filling out my ballot," he said.
asserted
he → have → ballot
But he did want to make sure that his vote supported his family and community.
asserted
vote → want → family
Though his parents are both green card holders, he said it doesn't stop anyone in the family from worrying about their future status.
asserted
it → say → status
So, when he was spending tons of time trying to figure out which politician to vote for, immigration was at the top of his mind.
asserted
immigration → spend → mind
"I do want to make sure that my values as an immigrant, as the first of my family to vote and also as a Latino to make sure that all of that is carried and translated through to my ballot," he said.
asserted
he → want → ballot
…and 34 more, not listed.
The Aporia
