As a Latino American and new citizen, I am excited to vote in my first election this November. But as an independent voter, I struggle to choose between the two major-party candidates because neither fully represents my values. Yet a recent NBC News/Telemundo/CNBC poll found that 40% of Hispanic voters support Trump, a record high for the former president. The reason Trump is leading Latino voters is because many of us know that Harris would turn the American dream into a nightmare. My family and I immigrated to the United States from Mexico in search of the American dream. Years later as a college student, I worked to support immigrant students, particularly undocumented ones. Immigration makes this country stronger, and I support efforts to welcome more immigrants who love America. However, there’s a line that must be drawn. Immigrants who commit violent crimes should be deported. Americans and immigrants alike cannot seek the American Dream if their neighborhoods are plagued with crime. Yet, Harris has a long track record of championing policies which made it difficult to deport violent criminals who later went on to commit more heinous acts. The significant influx of immigrants with violent histories into America today, has contributed to a troubling rise in crime syndicates. One example is Tren De Aragua, which has taken over apartments and hotels in Colorado and Texas and is terrorizing and extorting the residents, many of whom are immigrants. During the Trump/Harris presidential debate, Trump correctly stated that crime in America has increased under her administration. However, ABC News moderator David Muir tried to fact-check the President, interjecting, “The FBI says that overall violent crime is actually coming down in this country.” But recently, President Trump was vindicated as the FBI quietly updated its statistics which indicated that violent crime increased by 4.5% in 2022. Given her background as a former prosecutor, this issue should be a slam dunk for Harris. Yet, her refusal to acknowledge that crime is on the rise undermines her credibility and reveals her inability to solve the problem. We can’t afford leaders who ignore the threat crime poses to Americans and the American Dream. We need a president who will tackle crime head on so all can enjoy the freedom America promised them. Another key factor to consider with Harris’ policies is the broader impact of economic instability, both of which threaten the American Dream for millions, especially within immigrant communities like mine. According to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Black and Latino communities are among the hardest hit by inflation, and the Biden-Harris administration has not made it any better. In fact, under their administration, grocery prices have soared 28%, and mortgage payments have nearly doubled for the average American homeowner. This is the result of failed economic policies, and Harris has made it clear she wouldn’t change course from Biden’s approach. In fact, Harris said there’s “not a thing” she would have done differently. Lastly, the American Dream would not really be the American Dream without freedom of speech and religion. As a free speech activist, I watched as the Biden-Harris administration tried establishing an Orwellian “disinformation board” which was promptly scrapped after public outcry. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, their administration funneled millions of dollars to censor their political opponents. Consider Tim Walz’ false claims that there are no free speech protections to “disinformation,” while bragging about an anti-free speech and anti-religious law he enacted in his state, stating that “employers will either have to toe the line or be sent to jail.” A Harris-Walz administration would be a disaster to the free speech and religious freedoms of millions of Americans. 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Harris and Walz threaten this foundational freedom with their censorship tactics, jeopardizing the very rights that allow our diverse nation to thrive. As I prepare to cast my vote this November, one thing is crystal clear: Kamala Harris’s policies jeopardize the American Dream for immigrants like me. We need bold leaders who will defend our dreams, not create a nightmare. Gabriel Nadales is the National Director of Our America, the nation’s premier non-partisan organization dedicated to building a broad, diverse coalition of people who support the timeless American values that empower everyone to thrive, including: equal opportunity, mutual respect and freedom of expression. Nadales is a native of Los Angeles and a graduate of Citrus College.