Minneapolis' immigrant communities head to voting centers amid ICE surge's "ripple effects"
One in eleven Minnesotans were born outside the United States. These immigrants have a strong track record for voting.
A polling station in Minneapolis' Cedar-Riverside neighborhood, home to thousands with Somali heritage, saw a major turnout Tuesday evening.
One Somali Minnesotan told WCCO there's no excuse not to show up to vote, especially considering the immigration law enforcement surge in the city earlier this year.
"It has affected a lot of livelihoods and the way that people live their lives around here, and it's still, we're still feeling the ripple effects," the voter told WCCO.
Manny Vazquez, 20, was born and raised in Minneapolis' Phillips community, which is still very much on edge following Operation Metro Surge.
"I have some family from Guadalajara, Mexico, San Luis Potosí, Mexico, and a lot of family comes from the Turtle Mountain Reservation in North Dakota," Vasquez said.
He says he has a big interest in voting.
"I mean, voting in general should be of really big importance to the common person," Vasquez said. "I feel like despite whether the community, despite whether my community was attacked, I still would have voted regardless."
And 3 miles north, WCCO found a similar sentiment.
"You're supposed to vote if you stay in the country because for your life, for progressing in the country, for our community," said voter Amino Abdi. "That's why it's so important for us to vote for today."
Poll managers at the Cedar-Riverside location WCCO visited say the turnout to vote is strong, and so is the desire.
"We come from places you don't have a voice, so we don't take for granted," said voter Mustafa Diriye. "Always people who native born, they take for granted. We don't, and this is the basis we teach our kids, generations to come: get up and vote."
