Organizers hope that immigrants will be motivated by the aftermath of punitive immigration laws in states like Arizona and Alabama to go through the process of obtaining citizenship and employ their political power.
A new campaign led by civil- and immigrant-rights groups is urging eligible immigrants to apply for citizenship this month in order to vote in the November elections.
The campaign, called “¡Mas Respeto, Become a Citizen!”, hopes to tap into a large pool of legal permanent residents whose potential votes — if they became citizens — could shift the political landscape in many states, particularly around the issue of immigration.
Organizers hope that immigrants will be motivated by the aftermath of punitive immigration laws in states like Arizona and Alabama to go through the process of obtaining citizenship and employ their political power.
“The wholesale demonization of immigrants, and those who are perceived to be immigrant, is not only an affront to the immigrant community, it is an affront against the values that our nation holds dear,” Clarissa Martínez, director of immigration and national campaigns at the National Council of La Raza, said in a conference call this week. “Those who are eligible to become citizens now can do something about it, by taking the first step of becoming a citizen.”
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