The immigrant rights group Make the Road Action has made its first-ever general election presidential endorsement, backing Kamala Harris.
Make the Road Action, a 15-year-old organization focused on Latino voter engagement in crucial swing states like Nevada and Pennsylvania, previously supported Bernie Sanders in the 2020 presidential primaries but had not endorsed any candidate in a general election until now. Their decision to endorse Harris, announced on Thursday and first reported by the Guardian, reflects growing enthusiasm for her campaign.
“Harris taking on the nomination has added a new kind of energy,” said Theo Oshiro, executive director of Make the Road New York. “Our members are excited. Harris is a woman of color and comes from an immigrant family. They see their children or themselves in this candidate. They feel that she is someone who at least understands where we are coming from.”
The endorsement followed two meetings with more than 250 members, who discussed the stakes of the election before agreeing to support Harris. The group is focused on issues like housing affordability, the climate crisis, and the U.S. government’s role in Israel’s war on Gaza, but immigration rights were central to their decision.
The painful memories of the Trump administration’s immigration policies, including his anti-immigrant rhetoric and plans for mass deportations, motivated the group. “We are hungry and ready to fight back,” Oshiro said. “This was one of those moments in history where we had to come together to beat Donald Trump.”
Harris will need strong support from Latinx communities in swing states like Pennsylvania and Nevada, where Make the Road Action is active, to secure a victory in November. The organization plans to knock on about one million doors this election cycle, with a focus on these key states.
Members acknowledged that Harris has a complex record on immigration, citing her warning to Guatemalan immigrants during her first foreign trip as vice president: “Do not come” across the U.S.-Mexico border. She will also have to address the Biden administration’s decision to restrict asylum at the southern border. However, Oshiro noted that Harris has shown a willingness to work with immigrant rights activists and advocate for reforms. For instance, after the administration announced the asylum restrictions, it also introduced a plan to provide a pathway to citizenship for undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens.
“We talked about this deeply because the Biden administration, and by extension, Kamala Harris as Biden’s vice president, have not been perfect on immigration,” Oshiro said. “When we’re doing endorsements, we’re not picking a savior. We’re picking someone we think we can move and push in the right direction.”