Thread: Migrant rights groups seek 1 million voters

http://www.azcentral.com/specials/sp...oterdrive.html

Daniel González
The Arizona Republic
Aug. 3, 2006 12:00 AM


Immigrant rights advocates in the Valley and across the country are trying to transform the energy from last spring's huge street demonstrations into voter power this fall, hoping to mobilize a million new voters by fall.

By flooding polls, advocates aim to push the immigration debate away from the enforcement-heavy approach supported by many key lawmakers in favor of comprehensive immigration reform that offers a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants and more visas to reunite families.

Their goal in Maricopa County is to register 22,000 new voters in time for the Nov. 7 election. To achieve that mark, a coalition of immigrant rights groups is launching a voter drive on Friday that will send dozens of workers into heavily concentrated Latino neighborhoods to knock on doors and stand outside markets and shopping centers to register new voters.

"We are building electoral power for our community so they can have a say, not only on the streets but at the ballot box," said Ruben Villarreal, an organizer for the Arizona Coalition for Migrant Rights, a Phoenix-based organization working with We Are America Alliance, a national group. "Once we have a strong vote, I think politicians will think twice before they pass all these anti-immigrant bills."

Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in Phoenix and cities across the country after the House passed a tough immigration bill in December that would make being in the country illegally a felony. During some demonstrations, marches carried signs that said, "Today we march. Tomorrow we vote."

But rallying Latinos to vote can be a challenge. Statistics show Hispanics who are eligible to vote cast ballots at lower rates than other groups. Bringing immigrants and new voters into the fold requires a lots of education and encouragement, organizers of the coalition said.


Seeking voters
After the marches, the Senate passed its own immigration package supported by President Bush. It took a broader approach than the House's enforcement-only version and included a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants and a temporary-worker program. But despite prodding by the president, Congress hasn't reached a compromise, prompting organizers of the street marches to focus on trying to influence the outcome of the November midterm election and the 2008 presidential election.

Organizers believe the untapped power of new immigrant voters and their children could have far-reaching political impact but acknowledge they face significant challenges getting immigrants to the polls and motivating them to naturalize.

A June study by the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights estimates that by the 2008 presidential election, there will be 14.25 million potential voters among legal immigrants currently eligible to naturalize and U.S.-born children of immigrants ages 16 to 24.

Of those, 303,600 live in Arizona, which would have been more than enough to swing the 2004 presidential election in Arizona, according to the coalition. Bush won Arizona by 210,770 votes. Nationally, in 2004, 47 percent of Hispanics 18 and older cast ballots in the presidential election, compared with 67 percent for Anglos and 60 percent for Blacks, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Latino immigrants historically have lower voter participation rates than the general population, however, and lower naturalization rates than other immigrant groups.

"The typical voter is someone who owns a house, is highly educated, is financially stable and over 40. And in our community, you aren't going to find that," Villarreal said.

Still, Villarreal and others will concentrate on voter drives in Republican J.D. Hayworth's District 5, in parts of Mesa, Tempe and Phoenix, and Republican Jim Kolbe's District 8 in southern Arizona. Hayworth, a staunch immigration-control advocate, faces Democrat Harry Mitchell this fall, and a slew of candidates is battling for the seat Kolbe is giving up.


Casting ballots
There are signs besides the street marches that immigrants are eager to get more involved in the political process, in large part out of fear as the debate heats up.

As of May, citizenship applications in Phoenix increased by almost 40 percent, to 6,026 from 4,329, compared with the previous 12 months, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Nationally, citizenship applications are up 19 percent for the same periods, to 466,929 up from 393,628, the agency said.

Volunteers don't tell voters which candidate or political party to support, but they believe immigrant voters and Latinos are more likely to support candidates who favor comprehensive immigration reform, Villarreal said. Political candidates also are less likely to support hard-line measures when immigrants vote, advocates say.

"Elected officials are going to see there is power in our community, that (immigrants) are part of their constituency," said Lydia Hernandez, an organizer with the Arizona Coalition for Migrant Rights.

On a recent Saturday morning, Juan Serrato and his wife, Claudia, lined up along with more than 100 other legal permanent residents in a cafeteria for help filling out applications at a citizenship workshop in Phoenix. The workshop at Bret R. Tarver Elementary School was the fifth citizenship workshop organized this summer by the Arizona Coalition for Migrant Rights.

During the five workshops, more than 625 legal permanent residents applied for citizenship, organizer Teresa Castro said. Only U.S. citizens can cast ballots, and in Arizona, Proposition 200 requires everyone registering to vote to prove U.S. citizenship and to show ID at polls.

The coalition plans two more workshops Saturday, one in Phoenix, the other in Tucson. Juan Serrato, a native of Mexico, said he has been content remaining a legal permanent resident of the U.S. for the past 18 years. But he was prompted to apply for citizenship by those in Washington, D.C., calling for tightening the border and clamping down on immigration.

"The laws are getting so strict against us that I'm trying to protect myself and my family," said Serrato, a 44-year-old truck driver wearing a "USA" ball cap. "I'm afraid one day I could get deported."

Serrato said he was motivated to apply for citizenship by another reason: He has many family members and friends who would benefit if Congress passed immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship for the undocumented.

"I want the right to vote so that I can help my people," he said.

Can someone find out about these "citizenship applications in Phoenix" because it was my understanding that you could not just apply for US Citizenship if you were already in the US illegally.

W

"I want the right to vote so I can help my people," he said.

That's all they want, they will work for their own, not America and not all Americans.....everytime I read a quote or see them on TV, it's the same....work for their own!

Here is an audio file.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/stor ... Id=5533059

Estimated 14 million legal immigrants that are eligible for citizenship. Quotas were not mentioned.

In the audio, the people are shelling out $400 a pop and most will not be accepted because of quotas.

http://www.uslaw.com/problem.tcl?problem_id=383

The naturalization process

The process of becoming a United States citizen is known as naturalization, and is controlled by the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). To become a naturalized citizen, you must first spend a set amount of time as a legal permanent resident of the United States, usually five years. The right to vote, access to programs such as Social Security, a United States passport, and the ability to qualify for security clearances are just a few of the advantages enjoyed only by citizens of the United States.

The Naturalization Process
Follow these steps to become a United States citizen:

Determine your eligibility.
Basic eligibility requires only that a person has lived as a legal permanent resident in the US for five years, never taken a trip abroad of more than 6 months, and has been physically present in the US for a total of half the entire time--two and half years. Current regulations do allow a person to start the application process ninety days before they fulfill their residency requirement, though ninety percent of applicants fall into the category of the basic case, and need only meet these requirements. However, there are many special circumstances, such as marriage to a US citizen, that might affect your eligibility; fill out the INS online Naturalization Eligibility Worksheet to see how you are affected.

Dixie

Volunteers don't tell voters which candidate or political party to support, but they believe immigrant voters and Latinos are more likely to support candidates who favor comprehensive immigration reform, Villarreal said.

That is as long as the "comprehensive immigration reform" includes
amnesty!

Can someone find out about these "citizenship applications in Phoenix" because it was my understanding that you could not just apply for US Citizenship if you were already in the US illegally.

No one currently residing in the United States illegally should be able to apply for citizenship. Isn't that what much of the ongoing debate is about? To allow illegals the right to apply for citizenship would be granting them forgiveness (amnesty) for entering the country illegally!

Congress has passed 7 amnesties for illegal aliens, starting in 1986.

1. Immigration and Reform Control Act (IRCA), 1986: A blanket amnesty for some 2.7 million illegal aliens
2. Section 245(i) Amnesty, 1994: A temporary rolling amnesty for 578,000 illegal aliens
3. Section 245(i) Extension Amnesty, 1997: An extension of the rolling amnesty created in 1994
4. Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act (NACARA) Amnesty, 1997: An amnesty for close to one million illegal aliens from Central America
5. Haitian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act Amnesty (HRIFA), 1998: An amnesty for 125,000 illegal aliens from Haiti
6. Late Amnesty, 2000: An amnesty for some illegal aliens who claim they should have been amnestied under the 1986 IRCA amnesty, an estimated 400,000 illegal aliens
7. LIFE Act Amnesty, 2000: A reinstatement of the rolling Section 245(i) amnesty, an estimated 900,000 illegal aliens
8. Nine current bills are vying to be Amnesty No. 8

There are no current amnesty bills that authorizes amnesty for illegals in Arizona, or anywhere else for that matter.

Oh, nuts!!!

How can people who've been in this country for 30 years still not know the language????

And what scares me is that they'll somehow get the darn thing.

What confused me about this article is the status of who is really registering.

Prop 200 DID pass and they are SUPPOSED to show ID to vote there now.

added to homepage

http://www.alipac.us/modules.php?name=N ... e&sid=1415

Arizona Coalition for Migrant Rights "NATURALIZATION FAIR/WORKSHOP"

http://www.migrantrights.org/calendar/v ... e=20060805


NATURALIZATION FAIR - FERIA DE CIUDADANIA (Tucson)
Description: The Center for Community Change
Arizona Coalition for Migrant Rights and Mi Familia Vota

Invite you to a:
NATURALIZATION WORKSHOP

When: Saturday, August 5, 2006
Time: 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Where: El Rio Neighborhood Center
1390 West Speedway, Tucson


To apply for US citizenship, you must meet certain requirements and provide:
-Be a legal permanent resident for at least 5 years, or 3 years if married to an American citizen or if you have served 3 years in the US military
-Have your alien card (mica), Social Security Card, state ID or driver's license
-List of places you have traveled to during the past 5 years, including: month, day and year of travel
-List of where you have lived and worked for the past 5 years
-Information about your spouse: name, date of birth, date of marriage, Social Security number, alien number and/or date of naturalization (if applicable)
-Information about your children: address, name, date of birth and alien number (if applicable)
-Information about previous marriages: name of former spouse, date of marriage, date the marriage ended and reason for the divorce (if applicable)
-Information about any arrests: reason for the arrest, date, place and disposition (if applicable)
-For men only: Selective Service number and date of registration
-A check or money order for $400 made out to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)
-Two passport-style photos (photographs available at the Citizenship Fair for $10)


For more information, please call (520) 770-1373


Participating Organizations:
Derechos Humanos, Border Action Network, No More Deaths, Project Vecinos, Chicanos por la Causa (Tucson), Mi Familia Vota, Center for Community Change, Arizona Coalition for Migrant Rights, and more