Immigrants from Mexico make up nearly a third of the foreign-born population in the U.S. And this year, a lot more of them have become citizens – which gives them the right to vote.

CCTV’s Jessica Stone went to Texas, where she spoke to Mexican-American voters about what’s motivating them to cast their ballot.

History and music have knit Mexicans and Texans together since the 1800’s.

Maria Mendoza has lived in Houston, Texas for decades. This fall, she passed her U.S. citizenship exam. Yet she remains afraid of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. If he wins the election, she fears even legal Mexican immigrants could face deportation.

Throughout his campaign, Trump has pledged to build a wall between Texas and Mexico. He’s called Mexican immigrants- “drug dealers” and “rapists.”

U.S. government statistics show citizenship applications are up 32 percent from last year.

There’s now a backlog of more than half-a-million applications.

Carlos Duarte said it’s not just Trump’s tough talk on immigration that scares Mexicans and Mexican-Americans, it’s his rejection of the North American Free Trade Agreement.

NAFTA helps sustain more than a million jobs in Houston alone.

Houston has the third largest Mexican-born population in the entire United States. Nearly everyone here knows a new U.S. citizen or someone who’s undocumented.

Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton is trying to attract votes from Hispanic and other immigrant groups. She favors a path to citizenship for the millions of undocumented workers already living in the U.S.

After all, Maria Mendoza just wants a president who respects the country’s immigrants.

Maria Pena on Mexican American voters

What will the role of Mexican-American voters play in this year’s U.S. presidential election? For more on the issue CCTV America’s Mike Walter spoke with Maria Pena, Washington Correspondent at La Opinion/Impremedia.