尼科尔·索利斯-西松（Nicole Solis-Sison）成为归化公民当天。索利斯-西松7岁时首次从菲律宾来到美国。
Nicole Solis-Sison on the day she became a naturalized citizen. Solis-Sison first came to the U.S. from the Philippines when she was 7.
由尼科尔·索利斯-西松提供 尼科尔·索利斯-西松七岁时移居美国。她的父母和直系亲属为逃离菲律宾政府而前往美国寻求庇护。
Courtesy of Nicole Solis-Sison Nicole Solis-Sison moved to America when she was seven years old. Her parents and immediate family were fleeing the Philippine government and sought asylum in the U.S.
当他们抵达洛杉矶时，索利斯-西松以为他们的停留只是暂时的。最终，一旦她祖国的情况平静下来，他们就会回去。事实并非如此。
When they landed in Los Angeles, Solis-Sison thought their stay would be temporary. Eventually, once things calmed down in her home country, they would return. That wasn't the case.
她对NPR表示：“菲律宾政府在国际移民领域追捕我们，并要求把我们遣返回国。”
"The Philippine government pursued us in international immigration territory and demanded that we be sent back," she told NPR.
就在那时，当时的移民归化局（该机构后来被更名为移民和海关执法局，即ICE）的一名特工来到了她家。他们已经做好了被驱逐出境的准备。但在该特工对她的家人进行面谈后，他们并没有收拾行李返回马尼拉。
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. They were prepared to be deported. But after the agent interviewed her family, they weren't packing their bags back to Manila.
索利斯-西松说：“这位特定的移民归化局特工建议我们申请庇护，考虑到我们当时已经身处美国本土。”
"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.
索利斯-西松表示，一名移民特工为她的家人提供了合法留在美国所需的工具。今年早些时候，在历经二十多年摸索移民系统之后，她成为了一名美国公民。现年34岁的索利斯-西松如今正在纽约市参与她的生平第一场选举投票。
An immigration agent, Solis-Sison said, gave her family the tools needed to stay in the U.S. legally. Earlier this year, after more than two decades navigating the immigration system, she became an American citizen. Now, at the age of 34, Solis-Sison is voting in her very first election in New York City.
她说：“对我来说，今年是一个具有里程碑意义的年份，我成了一名首次投票的选民。我制作了自己的选民指南和选民日记。”
"This is like such a milestone year for me that I'm a first time voter. I created my own voter guide and voter diary," she said.
在2026年的第一场选举投票前夕，尼科尔·索利斯-西松为自己制作了一份选民指南和选举日记。
Ahead of voting in her first election in 2026, Nicole Solis-Sison made herself a voter guide and election diary.
许多年轻选民（包括索利斯-西松）都在为他们的未来感到担忧。他们能买得起房吗？他们将如何偿还学生贷款？组建家庭划算吗？
Many young voters, including Solis-Sison, are worried about their future. Will they be able to buy a home? How will they pay off their student loans? Is it economical to start a family?
但这次中期选举，对于一些有移民家庭成员以及新入籍的年轻人来说，投票的动机略有不同。
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.
索利斯-西松认为自己很幸运。她说，在她首次前往投票站投票之际，自己的移民经历正在影响她的投票选择。她感到自己肩负着一份责任。
Solis-Sison considers herself lucky. As she heads to the polls for the first time, she said her immigrant experience is informing her vote. She feels a responsibility.
“我觉得我确实有一种责任，要去保护那些正在经历这一过程、被落下并受到伤害的人，因为当我告诉你，我只是带着一丝希望才从中走出来的。”她说。
"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.
投票的力量——胡安·埃斯卡兰特在佛罗里达州南部长大时，并不知道自己是无证移民。
The power of voting Juan Escalante didn't know he was undocumented growing up in south Florida.
他原籍委内瑞拉，11岁时随家人移居美国。他说自己在美国过着正常的生活，但大约在高中三年级时，当他发现自己没有合法居留美国的身份后，这一切都变了。
Originally from Venezuela, his family moved to the states when he was 11 years old. 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.
“基本上，最终发生的事情是，我的父母花钱请了一位律师，这位律师给了他们非常糟糕的建议，不仅建议糟糕，还完全搞砸了他们的移民案件。”埃斯卡兰特说。
"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.
他补充说，发生这种情况时，移民申请不能简单地重新提交，“你基本上就完全出局了。”在奥巴马政府设立“童年抵美者暂缓遣返”（DACA）项目后，他的移民身份发生了变化。
He added when something happens like that, the immigration application can't simply be refiled, "you're kind of out of the line entirely." His immigration status changed under the Obama administration when the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program was established.
通过该项目，他成为家中第一个大学毕业的人。然后，在2025年，他成为家中第一个美国公民。今年，37岁的他将首次参加大选投票。胡安·埃斯卡兰特于2025年成为美国公民，是家中第一人。
Under the program, he became the first person in his family to graduate college. Then, in 2025, he became the first American citizen in his family. This year, at 37, he will vote in his first general election. Juan Escalante became a U.S. citizen in 2025, the first in his family.
胡安·埃斯卡兰特提供 “在美国第一次投票对我来说是一件极其个人化、充满情感的事，因为我明白一票能发挥多大的力量，去服务更大的善、服务社区、服务你希望为自己的社区、州和国家看到的未来。”埃斯卡兰特说：“我为自己是美国公民而自豪。”
Courtesy of Juan Escalante "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.
第一次收到邮寄选票时，埃斯卡兰特心情复杂。他为能够投票而激动，但作为加利福尼亚州居民，他被选票的庞大规模弄得不知所措。但这并没有阻止他一丝不苟地研究每一项选票提案和每一位候选人。对他来说，这是他大半辈子都在为之努力的事情。
When he first received his mail-in ballot, Escalante had mixed emotions. He was thrilled to cast a vote, but as a California resident, he found himself overwhelmed by the sheer size of his ballot. But that didn't stop him from meticulously researching every last ballot proposition and candidate. To him, it's something he's worked the majority of his life for.
他说：“尽管我要填涂的圆圈那么多，要做的研究那么多，我在填写选票时从未有过一刻将此视为理所当然。”
"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.
胡安·埃斯卡兰特在2025年加州关于选区重划的特别选举中首次投票，并拍下了他的“我已投票”贴纸。
Juan Escalante voted for the first time in the 2025 California special election on redistricting and framed his "I Voted" sticker.
但他确实想确保自己的投票能够支持他的家庭和社区。尽管他的父母都是绿卡持有者，他说这并不能阻止家里任何人对他们未来身份的担忧。因此，当他花大量时间试图弄清楚该投票给哪位政治家时，移民问题是他最关心的。
But he did want to make sure that his vote supported his family and community. Though his parents are both green card holders, he said it doesn't stop anyone in the family from worrying about their future 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.
他说：“我确实想确保，我作为一名移民、作为家里第一个投票的人、也作为一名拉丁裔的价值观，所有这些都能被承载并转化到我的选票中。”
"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.
混合身份家庭 威斯康星州24岁的黛西·埃斯帕尼亚也感受到家族移民历史的沉重。埃斯帕尼亚来自一个混合身份家庭。她出生在美国，一直是美国公民，但她的父母来自墨西哥。从小到大，她的父母都是无证移民。
Mixed status families 24-year-old Deisy España of Wisconsin also feels the weight of her family's immigrant history. España is from a mixed-status family. While she was born in the U.S. and has always been a citizen, her parents are from Mexico. Growing up, both of her parents were undocumented.
埃斯帕尼亚说，她年轻时并不理解父母面临的风险，比如有一次父母开车时被警察拦下。
España said she didn't understand the risks to her parents when she was younger, like when her parents got pulled over by the police while driving.
“我妈妈会开始画十字或祈祷，我一直不明白那种恐惧是什么，直到我长大很多后才意识到，他们是害怕自己会被移交给移民和海关执法局，”她说。
"My mom would start, like, doing the sign of the cross or praying and I never understood what that fear was until I got much older and realized that they were scared that they were going to get turned over to ICE," she said.
有些情况已经改变。她妈妈最近拿到了绿卡。但恐惧并没有完全消散。自从特朗普总统重返白宫以来，移民和海关执法局经常出现在新闻中。每次埃斯帕尼亚遇到有家人被移民和海关执法局带走的人，或者读到与移民和海关执法局有关的死亡事件时，同样一个念头就会在她脑海中闪过。“那本来可能是我爸爸，”她说。
Some of that has changed. Her mom recently obtained a green card. But the fear hasn't completely dissipated. ICE has been in the news a lot since President Trump returned to office. Every time España encounters someone whose family member has been taken by ICE, or reads about an ICE related death, the same thing runs through her head. "That could have been my dad," she said.
移民政策一直是埃斯帕尼亚的优先事项，她也一直积极参与政治，尽管她直到2020年才达到投票年龄。但她说，这次选举中她感觉有更多东西处于危险之中，尤其是考虑到特朗普在移民问题上的强硬立场，以及移民和海关执法局探员逮捕那些长得像她父母的人。埃斯帕尼亚说，她带进投票站的不仅仅是她的观点。
Immigration policy has always been a priority for España and she has always been politically active, despite not being old enough to vote until 2020. But she said more feels at risk this election, especially with Trump's hardline stance on immigration and ICE agents arresting people who look like her parents. España said she carries more than just her views into the ballot box.
“我是在为我的父母投票。我必须为不能投票的父母这样做。但即便是现在，也比以往任何时候都更是如此，”埃斯帕尼亚说。
"I'm voting for my parents. I have to do it for my parents who can't vote. But even now, more than ever," España said.
这一直是埃斯帕尼亚对其他有移民家庭的年轻选民传达的信息。不要为自己投票。为你的父母投票。
That has been España's message for other young voters with immigrant families. Don't vote for yourself. Vote for your parents.
23岁的得克萨斯州居民莱迪·冈萨雷斯与埃斯帕尼亚处境相似。虽然她是美国公民，但冈萨雷斯的父母都来自萨尔瓦多。她说，她满21岁时最期待的一件事就是帮助父母获得合法身份。
23-year-old Leydi Gonzalez of Texas is in a similar position as España. While she is an American citizen, both of Gonzalez's parents are from El Savador. She said the number one thing she was looking forward to once she turned 21 years old was helping her parents gain legal status.
“我满21岁时，第一件让我兴奋的事就是终于可以为我的父母递交申请。不是喝酒，”她说。
"When I turned 21, the first thing that I was excited for was to finally petition my parents. It wasn't drinking," she said.
现在，多亏冈萨雷斯的担保，他们获得了在美国居留的授权。他们已进入系统，正祈祷着居留申请获批。
Now, thanks to Gonzalez's sponsorship, they have authorization to be in the U.S. They're in the system and crossing their fingers for residency approval.
尽管父母有一层法律保护，冈萨雷斯仍担心会出事。冈萨雷斯说，特朗普首次当选总统时，她的家人就开始讨论，如果父母被拘留或驱逐，由谁来照顾她的兄弟姐妹。
While there is a layer of legal protection for her parents, Gonzalez is still worried something could happen. Gonzalez said her family started having conversations about who would take care of her siblings if her parents were detained or deported when Trump was first elected president.
“这是一次令人害怕的谈话。就像，‘嘿，万一你父母发生什么未知的事，你就会由这个人抚养，’”冈萨雷斯解释道。
"That is a scary conversation to have. Like, 'Hey, just in case something unknown happens to your parents, this is who you're gonna be left with,'" Gonzalez explained.
现在，她觉得形势同样严峻，甚至更甚。她所在的社区因得克萨斯州移民与海关执法局（ICE）特工枪杀洛伦佐·萨尔加多·阿劳霍一事而震惊。但她确实认为，这次大选正处于变革的边缘，尤其是如果国会控制权发生变化。
Now, she feels like the stakes are just as high, if not higher. Her community has been rocked by the killing of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Texas by an ICE agent. But she does think things are on the precipice of change this election, especially if control of Congress changes.
这就在她家门口上演。得克萨斯州有一场备受瞩目的联邦参议院竞选。虽然得州是一个可靠的红州，但民主党人詹姆斯·塔拉里科在民调中领先共和党提名人、得州总检察长肯·帕克斯顿。她说，她投票是为了自己的最大利益，但这不仅仅关乎个人。
It's playing out in her backyard. There is a high profile U.S. Senate race in Texas. While Texas is a reliably red state, Democrat James Talarico has been polling ahead of Republican nominee, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. She said she is voting for her best interest, but it is bigger than that.
“这绝对感觉像是在为我的家人投票，”冈萨雷斯说。“绝对是为了给家人一份安全感。”2026年中期选举
"It definitely feels like I'm voting for my family," Gonzalez said. " Definitely a sense of security for my family." 2026 midterms