A First-Time Voter’s Complicated Path Navigating Family and Politics
Special | 3m 47sVideo has Closed Captions
Jerry Reyes, a first time voter, is a registered Republican, and is voting for Trump.
Sitting at a crowded taquería, Jerry Reyes talks about the upcoming election, and describes what matters to him as a 24-year-old, first-time voter: he wants to “make money.” And while he concedes that he himself is a product of immigrants, he thinks it’s time to close the border. Jerry sells insurance, is a registered Republican, and is voting for Trump.
A First-Time Voter’s Complicated Path Navigating Family and Politics
Special | 3m 47sVideo has Closed Captions
Sitting at a crowded taquería, Jerry Reyes talks about the upcoming election, and describes what matters to him as a 24-year-old, first-time voter: he wants to “make money.” And while he concedes that he himself is a product of immigrants, he thinks it’s time to close the border. Jerry sells insurance, is a registered Republican, and is voting for Trump.
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship- I was born in the US but I'm very proud to be Mexican.
My father came to the US when he was 17 years old and both of my parents, they came from .
They literally came with nothing on their backs except the clothes that they had because they wanted to create a better life, not just for themselves, but for for us.
My parents and grandparents feel very deeply for the border crisis.
They want the border to be open, to be free because they were in a position where they had to cross the border.
But there's always a right way how to do things and there's always a wrong way.
Trump is not perfect whatsoever, but when you start looking at what he wants to do for the country, who he wants to stand for, there's no disagreement that putting America first is the thing that everybody wants.
- If you keep the border open, you can let anybody in the ranging from somebody who upstanding to the worst person that you can think of to cross the border.
Yeah.
And, but if you leave it open, there's more negative than positive that can come out of it.
- Like for the economy to prosper, to flourish.
It can't be just like free for somebody to just walk over the border, come in, do whatever they want to do, work, make money, right?
Live the American dream, but not have to pay the price that we pay.
- I'm the first generation to vote in my family, and one of the things that might be considered dangerous is voting for Trump.
Especially when you're Latino, man, people hate you.
Your family doesn't like you.
Friends don't like you.
My parents, my grandparents, my entire family, they disagree with my viewpoint.
You really want me to say what they, they think about Trump.
which is, is basically like big mouth.
They have a big old trompa 'cause it's Trump, trompas.
It sounds the same but the only person I I'd speak to from my immediate family are my siblings and my dad.
I actually don't speak to my mom, Man.
It's always been a topic of just conflict.
I've always been butting heads.
She just has to understand that I'm choosing to carve my own path.
At the end of the day, you're American.
Whether you were born in Mexico or you were born in the US, you live in this country.
You pay taxes, your, your legacy is here now.
So making America great again is something that has so much power.
'cause making sure that the person living in America is put first.
It's for the betterment of you.
You're made sure that you're taken care of.
