Astrid Silva delivers remarks on the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Photo by Paul Morigi/WireImage
When 28-year-old Astrid Silva spoke at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on Monday night, she began with a story: As a four-year-old, she crossed the Rio Grande with her mother, leaving Mexico so that they could join her father in the United States.
"I grew up like an ordinary girl," she told the crowd of thousands. "My dad worked as a landscaper and my mom stayed at home with my brother and I. But while my friends did ordinary things, I couldn't, because my parents were afraid that someone might discover I was undocumented."
The speech by Silva set the tone for how Democrats and Hillary Clinton will approach immigration in the coming election. As with much of Clinton's platform, she vows to continue and build upon the legacy of President Barack Obama, fighting for undocumented young people and pushing for the passage of comprehensive immigration reform.
Silva, who has permission to live and work in the US under Obama's deportation relief program for young people, appeared during a mini-block of immigration-themed speeches, following 11-year-old Karla Ortiz and her mother, Francisca. The girl said her parents face the threat of deportation and that Clinton "would do everything she could to help us."
The contrast with the Republican National Convention couldn't have been clearer. At the event in Cleveland last week, Donald J. Trump repeated his calls for a wall on the US-Mexico border and speakers told stories of loved ones killed by undocumented immigrants.
If Trump was trying to instill fear in voters, the opening of the Democratic convention showed that Clinton won't run away from that challenge, according to David Lublin, a professor of government at American University. "The Democrats are embracing being a pro-immigrant party," he told VICE. "That seems not a bad way to help solidify the huge Latino vote."
VICE spoke with Silva after her speech on Monday to hear her thoughts about Clinton, Trump, and the vulnerability of her parents as undocumented immigrants.
VICE: Why did you decide you wanted to do the speech at the DNC?
Astrid Silva: I had the invitation extended to me and I thought that it would be really great for our community and especially for our undocumented families.
What did it feel like to be part of the opening act?
I was definitely nervous. It's not every day that you speak to a room full of so many people. But I think also a lot of that nervousness was just thinking about what our families go through and thinking that all the people in this room can really have an impact on what's going to happen to our future.
Were your parents watching along at home?
My parents hosted a watch party, and so they got to see it with friends and family there. And I saw some of the pictures and they seem to be having a really great time.
Do you still have family in Mexico?
My family's all in Mexico. My mom and dad are the only siblings from their families that live here. My mom is from Veracruz and my dad is from Durango. And I was also born in Durango.
What are their thoughts about this election?
It's not really a big conversation that we have. Most of them, you know, they kind of live their life and don't really get as much involved in what's happening in politics here. I just know that lately, they've been asking, "What's going to happen to you guys if Donald Trump wins?" That's really their question.
"I expect to make sure that our families don't end up the way that we did this time around, where there's so much fear in the community." — Astrid Silva
What do you think it means for other undocumented people to hear you speak?
To me, one of the biggest things was to really talk to people like my mom and dad. They're undocumented and there's not that many people speaking out for them. With the Dreamers, we're so much more vocal and we were raised here, and we know what's happening.
With the parents, there's still a lot of fear in the community. I wanted them to see that Hillary Clinton is supporting them—not just Dreamers, not just citizen children—she's really supporting them and making sure that they eventually have a path to citizenship.
You're supporting Hillary Clinton, I assume. But what are you expecting from her if she's elected president?
Well, hopefully when she's elected, there will be congressional representatives elected as well that will be able to help her push a larger immigration reform plan. But what I expect from her during her presidency is to make sure that our families don't end up the way that we did this time around, where there's so much fear in the community.
Did you watch Trump's speech on the final night of the RNC?
I actually didn't watch it. I chose to do my homework instead. I knew that throughout every night that he had been speaking, there had just been a lot of negativity, and that's not what the United States is about.
What were you studying? You said you have your bachelor's degree, right?
Yeah, I got my bachelor's degree in May. However, I had to finish one course credit. They only offered it in the summer. It's Latinos in the West, an intro to immigration class.
Do you worry about your parents since you're talking about this in front of so many people?
There's always a worry of what will happen to them, but I have a bigger worry thinking they might be deported because somebody like Donald Trump becomes president.
If Trump is elected, do you think he would try to deport you or your parents to Mexico?
I think financially it does not make sense to deport 11 million people. But I feel that he is determined to carry it through. I also know that there's many, many more Americans who don't agree with him and they will go to the ballot box in November.
Other than your speech, what was the highlight of your night?
It was Karla and her mom, Francisca Ortiz. And just hearing her and seeing how brave she really was. They were a family that was on the verge of being deported. They had already packed all of their belongings, given them away, and then their deportation was stopped temporarily. They have a stay of removal currently. I'm 28 years old—if my parents are separated from me, it's devastating, but if you think about the impact on an 11 year old, it's life-changing.
Did you have the chance to say anything to Karla before she went on?
We spent the day together and she was really excited about it, because to her, this is what she needs to do to not only protect her family, but all the other families out there that she's met along the way.
Did you give her some advice?
Just one minute talking to Karla and you realize she could give you more advice than you ever could. She's incredibly smart and she knows what she needs to do to make sure that her parents have the best odds of staying with her.
Was there a moment when you realized, "Wow, there's just so many people in here?"
Yeah, it kind of just hit me all at once that I was up there. I can't remember exactly when the moment was, but I just looked around and I just remember that at one point, it seemed like so many people. I spotted a few familiar faces in the crowd and it was the Nevada delegation. It just made me remember that home means Nevada and that's where my home is, and that's where my family is going to stay.
What happens next for you?
I will be here the rest of the week. I plan on finishing this week out and then making sure that people are registering to vote, becoming citizens, doing everything that they need to do.
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