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Today's Poll!Naturalization push ahead of November election
Sunday, April 22, 2012
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (AP) — A coalition of groups supporting immigrants has recruited teams of volunteers to help push programs they hope will add thousands of new U.S. citizens to the voter rolls in several states in time for the November presidential election.
The national push comes after Democratic President Barack Obama has failed to deliver on promised immigration reforms in his first years in office and his likely opponent, Mitt Romney, adopted harsh rhetoric on illegal immigration to win support from conservatives while campaigning for the GOP nomination.
The Department of Homeland Security says an estimated 12.6 million people were holding so-called green cards given to legal permanent U.S. residents in 2010, including 8.1 million people who already qualify for naturalization but have not applied for citizenship. Latinos, considered a Democratic-leaning constituency, account for the largest immigrant community.
Immigrants and other minority voters helped Obama to a comfortable win over Republican John McCain in the 2008 presidential election.
“The fastest growing segment of the American electorate is the Latino vote, and within Latinos, we are seeing very rapid growth of immigrant voters,” said Matt Barreto, a political science professor at the University of Washington. “In the 2012 election there is no doubt that the immigrant community will be incredibly relevant.”
The “Become a Citizen Now!” campaign began in March, hoping to help 5,000 immigrants complete the daunting application process to become citizens and register to vote. It is targeting foreign-born residents who have been in the country long enough to qualify for naturalization in Massachusetts, New York, California, Florida, Maryland, Oregon, Colorado, Washington, Tennessee, Illinois, Wisconsin and New Hampshire. Nearly 500 citizenship applications have been completed so far.
Yenith Berrio, a 40-year-old Colombian citizen who has spent half of her life living in the United States, is preparing for her naturalization test and looks forward to becoming a U.S. citizen and registered voter.
The Boston resident said the right to vote allows her to participate in a process that affects her and her family. She said the U.S. is a better place for her and her children who “are happier right here and could get much better education here.”
It typically takes just over five months to acquire citizenship.
“Those immigrants that apply for their citizenship before the end of April are likely to be able to vote in this election in November,” said Josh Hoyt, a co-chair of the National Partnership for New Americans.
A separate push by the National Council of La Raza, a Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization, seeks to register 180,000 Latinos to vote nationwide. Organizers say the initiative already has registered more than 10,000 voters. The group is conducting the campaign in Florida, Nevada, Colorado, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, California, Texas, North Carolina and online.
When immigrants register, they generally show up to vote. More than 89 percent of registered foreign-born Americans cast ballots in 2008, according to the Pew Hispanic Center.
And their share among voters is growing. Among all voters who cast ballots in the 1996 presidential election, 4.1 percent were foreign-born, according to Pew. Eight years later in 2008, the percentage rose to 6.3.
While Immigrants have historically supported candidates in both major political parties, there’s been a recent shift toward Democrats, said Manuel Pastor, director of the Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration at the University of Southern California.
“There has been sort of a noticeable spin in the last couple of elections toward the Democratic party — but it seems mostly because of the way most of the Republican Party has moved right on immigration and the impact that has on the perception of new immigrant voters.” Pastor said.
Romney has staked out a tough stance on immigration. He favors a U.S.-Mexico border fence, opposes education benefits to illegal immigrants and says he would veto the Dream Act, which would allow some illegal immigrant youths to earn permanent residency and eventually citizenship if they attend college or serve in the military.
Obama had promised during his 2008 campaign to press for a comprehensive immigration policy overhaul that would include providing a path to legalization for millions of illegal immigrants. Yet, more than three years into his term, he has failed to deliver, blaming fiercely divided congressional Republicans who he says are unwilling to work on the issue.
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Comments
wyriontair 1 year ago
I continue to find it offensive that we have organizations and politicians that categorize people into groups and pander for their vote. If you are a citizen, you have to decide, am I hispanic, latino, black, blue, yellow or green OR am I an AMERICAN? If you are American vote your conscience after you have researched all the factors, don't vote for someone because they want to give you everythingand don't vote for someone because someone tells you to. The right to vote is a precious one that should be respected and not bought and sold.
tonto_goldberg 1 year ago
I agree.
Sequoia 1 year ago
What makes you think these people aren't voting on the ISSUE of immigration? These are Americans voting their American conscience on the American issue of American immigration. You can be Latino AND American at the same time, pal. It seems like you're the one who is quick to categorize people.
sickandtired 1 year ago
gee why do liberal vote for democrats- because they want the government to give them everything.As for Immigration- what they are talking about above is totally different than what is at issue today. they are doing things the legal way. They are not telling people to just jump the border. that is where the real issue is. The reason they want to get these votes by November is so they have a backing to push for granting citizenship to illegal immagrants.
asb 1 year ago
We're NOT all just Americans. Some are more American than others, naturalized or not, and we all know that. Wy does bring up the classic questions of; why is there a need for advocacy, why are advocacy groups for majority (usually white) folk often seen as racist, why should a group do this and not myself, and why can't we all be the same on important issues? Last question first: even identical twins have different paths in life and so will diverge on some issues. The further apart I am from you in ANY way, the more likely we'll have differing views, goals and interests. Great, that's called politics, and the voting democracy has proven to be the best system for thousands of years. It is quite slimey, but that's life. We always hear how precious the "vote" is, and it is, but in a wealthy society, where huge differences in wealth/power exist, the vote is not as valuable as in a simpler or more level society. Therefore groups pool their votes. When the dominant group pools its power and votes, it almost always erodes the needs of everybody else, so it is often considered a repressive pooling; so no advocacy for the european decended upper class without a matching "oppressor" label. That's politics. Those who organize the advocacy groups usually benefit from them, so they get the label of self-serving organizer taking advantage of the membership. Too bad! We are ALL immigrants on this continent, the newest just need the most focus on group advocacy.
evenkeel 1 year ago
Hey hkchas. What is your problem with rich people, huh?
As a rich person, what I've got I earned. No one gave me anything. I made my fortune with honest effort, hard work and persistence. I am not asking for the GOP to give me a thing.
What I AM asking is for the Federal Government to quit taking so much from me and to quit wasting what they take from me. Is that asking too much?
On a personal note: how about thanking me every now and then for paying the freight? Don't be an ingrate. It is a very repulsive character trait you exhibit when you try to slap me down while you've got your clutching hands reaching for my wallet.
Quit coveting what I have and what I am. It makes you look small and conniving. It makes me start to think that you really are small and conniving. How about this hkchas? Come join me. All you have to do is be successful. Rich people like success. Why don't you?
evenkeel 1 year ago
Sorry hkchas, I realize that I didn't really address your question. Why do the rich vote for Republicans? I cannot speak for all rich people but I will say that I vote GOP mostly because they want to repress poor people. Afterall, that is how us rich people make our money.
When I see a button that says PUSH, man, I push it.
asb 1 year ago
Seems to me your's is the button that got pushed. You're not rich. The rich aren't carrying the freight, their share has been reduced constantly since just after WWII, which is why the Federal Government isn't really "taking" all that much. Waste? Always a problem with any large organization. Take part, hound the GSA-type wasters, more power to you. But when you call social programs waste in and of themselves, you actually ARE supporting the repression of poor people. Scrooge finally figured it out, why can't the wealthy? Because they own the government at present and don't have to.
asb 1 year ago
Modern western history begins with the technically advanced middle class and the huge income they brought to everybody in Europe. Before that, castles and churches were it. Is that what we want again? Some do, and their candidate is going to make it look good. Castles for the low-taxed rich, and churches for the high-ground religious power brokers. Heck, we've even got a crusade available if we can't do it any other way . . .
Sequoia 1 year ago
"The top 10 percent of earners pay a higher percent of the government's taxes than any time in the last 30 years, but at historically low tax rates. This is possible for one, simple reason: rich people are making more money. Much more money. In fact, in 2007 the top one percent of Americans held its highest share of income than at any time since 1928."
theatlantic.com/business/archive/2010/04/how-to-think-about-taxes-and-the-rich/38947/
asb 1 year ago
They are taxed. But their real and effective rates are the lowest in decades. Their investment income is barely taxed at all anymore. Yes, the rich pay very large portions of our budget, just not proportionately as much as I do, and I get nice deductions for my kids' college tuition. Sorry Grace, the War on Wealth is as constructed as FOX's War on Christmas. If the wealthiest paid a more balanced share, there'd be mention of it. Nobody is accusing the wealthy of eating babies, or stealing from the collection box, or shooting slow folks in wheelchairs, because they're not. But they ARE skating on their fair share.
dokeus6 1 year ago
So tell us Grace what do we need to understand about America.
1) That the trickle down economic theory that Reagan left us with is not working? The idea is good but the wealthy are not taking the money and letting it trickle down into the economy to create jobs. They are putting it into tax shelters and growing their money in overseas accounts to avoid paying taxes on their money and greed.
2) The middle class is shrinking due to the fact that the corporations have taken most of the good paying manufacturing jobs to cheaper labor so the skilled workers now work at McDonalds and other fast food restaurants. How can the economy grow with no good paying jobs?
3) The fact the Republicans spent hundreds of Billions of dollars in Iraq fighting a war that we had no business being in. All of the money that we had in surplus was thrown away by fighting this war.
4) The fact that the financial crisis in 2008 was brought on by the President who tossed away the money that was in the White House before Obama (I despise the man so much I won't mention his name).
Like I have said in a previous post in a different topic Grace. You need to come down off the pedestal you live on and see what the real world is like.
dokeus6 1 year ago
Way to Edit your post Grace!!!
spelchek 1 year ago
Not so fast...
1) It did work from the 80's into Clinton's terms, then Bush started spending it, and Obama has doubled down. 2) The cheap labor explosion started under Clinton, thus the decline of the middle-class. 3) The decision to go to war was a joint resolution, not just Republican. 4) Once again, Bush cut taxes and started an underfunded war, Obama has doubled down. Your logic indicates spending under Bush is wrong, but even more spending by Obama is OK.
This is the real world, yours is fantasy.
dokeus6 1 year ago
I did not indicate any where in my post that spending under Obama is ok either. We went from a budget surplus into a financial crisis in seven years under Bush due to his total mismanagement.
What worked from the 80's to Clinton's terms? Trickle down.
Bush cut taxes on the richest one percent and the country was so terrifed of the next Napolean that no one was going to say no to him by going to war.
Not so fast.... I experienced everything that happened in the last 12 years. Don't tell me not so fast...
asb 1 year ago
Infusing America with un-Americans? Oh Grace, you sign yourself.
spelchek 1 year ago
Desperate times calls for desperate measures.
sickandtired 1 year ago
Dokeus6 you really nee to look at the history of America over the last 20 years to understand what is going on. you want to blame everything on the rich, how about we blame ourselves for the problem.
1) Under Bill Clinton is issued an order to Fannie May and Freddie Mack to issue loans and mortgages to people that did not deserve to have them, just because he thought everybody deserved a home. Majority of all morgages are issued based on 35% of your disposable income. back then they based it on 55% of their disposable income. People didn't want to here how they got the loans, they just wanted to hear they had got the loan. They didn't know the difference between ARM and a fixed rate- they didn't care either.
2) We live in a society of the must haves. I must have the bigscreen TV. I must have the new Iphone. I must have the new car every 4 years. If I can't pay for it I charge it. In 2006 the average family had $50k in credit card bills.
3) I will blame the speculators for the next one.In 2007 the average price of gas rose to almost $4.00/gallon. people didn't get increases in pay to cover that, so what happened. you cut cost to have money for gas. you didn't spend as much unless you needed it
So what happens when you stop buying. supply and demand changes and the supply outways the demand. so can anbyody tell me what happens next. They cut back on production and people loose jobs. when people loose jobs they cannot pay for the big toys they have bought. That puts us where we are today. Now the economy has slowly been going up- but big business says what a minute i was caught with my pants down once- it is not gonna happen again. So they are not shoveling out money like they did before.You wouldn't either if you were in their spot.
So the only people to blame is us.
Sequoia 1 year ago
1) Yeah, but the private banks were making loans WAY riskier than Fannie and Freddie, because they were able to wrap them up and sell them off to suckers. And, don't forget... only a small percentage of homeowners actually defaulted on their loans. It was panic and the collateralized debt obligations that caused the housing bubble to crash the whole economy. Don't forget that.
No doubt many people demand a higher lifestyle than they can afford.
No doubt that demand is the driver of the ecomomy. But big business ain't shovelling money out, dude. They're sitting on record profits, and have been for a couple years now:
nytimes.com/2010/11/24/business/economy/24econ.html
Sequoia 1 year ago
They're preparing for times that are "even worse" than times of record profits? "Current government policies" have led to these record profits. How can the same policies that brought record profits simultaneously create fear that those profits need to be sat on? The government policies that would encourage them to invest are policies that would increase demand, which you've argued against.
BubbaD 1 year ago
Such a misnomer for an avatar name! Where is the grace in "You don't have a clue how things really are do you?
evenkeel 1 year ago
Hey hkchas, explain to me how the Buffet Rule helps the middle class. Taking even more money from the rich and giving it to a wasteful and bloated Federal government helps the middle class? Huh. Go figure.
evenkeel 1 year ago
Here it is again kids:
• The top 1% pay 36.7% of all federal income taxes. (While the top 1% paid 36.7% of ALL federal income tax, they collected 16% of ALL the US adjusted gross income. Seems like a disparity to me. Please check my figures here: Is 36.7 % > 16 % ? Why yes, it is! It is a disparity! The rich pay more than their fair share! Gosh, I love math. )
• The top 5% pay 58.7% of all federal income taxes.
• The top 10% pay 70.5% of all federal income taxes.
Facts are such stubborn things!
JCLifer 1 year ago
Careful!!! You are gonna cause a liberal to pop a blood vessel.
evenkeel 1 year ago
I'm thinking that if taking even more money from the rich and giving it to a wasteful and bloated Federal government really does help the middle class, then the middle class ought to be doing superfine now. But of course it does not.
hkchas, you need to look deeper into this. Your hypothesis is crumbling.
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