By Cristina Cabrera Jarro -
Photographer: COURTESY PHOTO
Honduran immigrant Juana Hernandez cast her first vote as an American citizen in the 2016 presidential election. Catholic Legal Services of the Archdiocese of Miami helped her obtain her U.S. citizenship in 2015.
MIAMI | Juana Hernandez emigrated from Honduras nine years ago, and became a U.S. citizen in 2015. Like many new Americans, 2016 marks the first time she votes. But unlike most Americans, she did so at the age of 102.
Randy McGrorty, executive director of Catholic Legal Services of the Archdiocese of Miami, was personally invited by Hernandez and her family to accompany them to vote Nov. 6 � the last day of early voting in the 2016 presidential election.
“She was very excited and all smiles,” said McGrorty.
Throughout the year, Catholic Legal Services hosts clinics in the community where attorneys assist immigrants with the naturalization process. In 2015, Hernandez’s daughter, Rosario Corrales, brought her then 101-year-old mother to one of the clinics. A few months later, Hernandez became a citizen.
CLS’ work ends at that point. The agency does not register people to vote. But McGrorty said he was honored to accompany Hernandez to her first elections.
“This was a very special client,” he said.
