Eugenio Derbez, Mexican actor: "I became a United States citizen several years ago because I was determined to make my voice heard"

Eugenio Derbez, Mexican actor: “I became an American citizen several years ago because I was determined to make my voice heard” The comedian asserted that there is a fear that Hispanics will recognize the transformative power of their vote - 4 minutes reading time Mexican actor Eugenio Derbez publicly denounced that the Latino community in the United States faces “intimidation campaigns” and attacks aimed at inhibiting their vote in the November elections. In an act carried out in California, he underlined that he adopted U.S. citizenship several years ago with the conviction to assert his electoral weight and stated: “I was determined to make my voice heard.” The denunciation of Mexican actor Eugenio Derbez regarding the November 3 elections During a press conference held on October 15 in Los Angeles, California, Derbez questioned the tactics aimed at discouraging civic participation of the Latino population. “This is not a coincidence, it is not. I ask all of you: If your vote were not important, why are you trying to intimidate us into not voting? What do those who want to intimidate us fear?” he inquired. In the context of the closing of Hispanic Heritage Month in Los Angeles, the Mexican actor emphasized that fear only benefits those who seek to limit Latino influence in the country's public decisions. In this line, he asserted that there is a fear that Hispanics will recognize the power of their vote and begin to occupy high political positions. “They are afraid that voters will realize that their vote is their voice, that their vote is their power, and they are afraid of seeing us in positions of power,” he maintained, quoted by El Financiero. He then emphasized the need for unity among Latinos in the United States and referred to his own experience. “Together we are powerful and we will use our power. I became an American citizen several years ago because I was determined to make my voice heard,” he concluded. Derbez's support for Xavier Becerra During his intervention, Derbez reiterated his support for Democratic candidate Xavier Becerra, who has Latino roots, who will seek to govern California after Gavin Newsom's term ends. The actor highlighted that a victory for Becerra would mean having the first Latino governor in California in more than 150 years, in a state where the Hispanic population represents nearly 40% of the total. Becerra, a Mexican-descended lawyer who served as a U.S. Congressman, Attorney General of California, and Secretary of Health federal during the Biden administration, recently called on Latinos to vote in the U.S. In his statement, he cited the case of the dreamers, as known to those who were protected by the DACA temporary protection program. “Vote for the ‘dreamers’ and vote for their families, who are also in the shadows and hope to one day come out and not be attacked by ICE,” he expressed in the act, according to Telemundo. He then referred to the importance of the Latino vote in the upcoming elections. “We know the power of our vote, we know the power our community has, and we know that November 3 is a key day. Vote against Donald Trump and his policies,” he launched. Who is Xavier Becerra, the Democrat who called on Latinos to vote in the U.S. Born on January 26, 1956, in Sacramento, California, from a family of Mexican immigrants, Becerra graduated with a bachelor's degree in Economics and obtained his doctorate in Law from Stanford University. With these qualifications, he became the first person in his family to obtain a university degree. In the political sphere, he worked as Assistant Attorney General in the California Department of Justice in 1987, when Democrat John Van de Kamp was the Attorney General. In 1990, he left the position after being elected to the state assembly, where he represented District 59 in Los Angeles County. Three years after joining the California Assembly, Becerra was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served 12 consecutive terms between 1993 and 2017. That year, he assumed the position of Attorney General of California, becoming the first Latino to hold that office. In that role, he was the main opponent of President Donald Trump's policies in his first term, with more than 122 lawsuits in defense of immigrants and the funding of public programs. On April 2, last year, he announced his candidacy for the governorship of California. After winning the primaries in June, he will run against Republican Steve Hilton in the November 3 elections, with the goal of becoming the first Latino to hold the office of governor of the Golden State.