America's Voice Blog

Posted 10/27/08 at 04:25pm By Web Team

What’s Driving the Latino Vote?

Today's LA Times story, "Economic strife drives Latino vote," details the percentage points that Latino votes are likely to swing the outcome of the election in key Western battleground states. According to the article:

Latinos make up 32.4% of registered voters in New Mexico, 11.4% in Nevada and 9.9% in Colorado. The institute examined data from eight polling firms and found that Obama's lead over McCain in Nevada would be 42.4% to 40.7% without Latino voters -- a difference that's within the margin of error. Include Latino voters, however, and Obama's lead grows to 50%, versus 43% for McCain. [...]

In New Mexico, McCain has a 4-point lead without Latino voters, and Obama has an 8-point lead with the Latino vote. And in Colorado, a statistical tie without Latinos jumps to 51% for Obama versus 45% for McCain when Latinos are included.

But while the LA Times is right in stressing the importance of the economy to Latino voters, it misses a major piece of the puzzle when it comes to what is driving this new demographic. The significantly larger Latino and immigrant citizen turnout we're set to see this year is also a direct result of large-scale voter mobilization efforts by campaigns and organizations like the We Are America Alliance.

In the wake of the 2006 and 2007 immigration marches, new citizens and their children are mobilizing once again. They are fed up with an immigration debate that has turned them into scapegoats for all our nation's ills while failing to fix our ailing immigration system.

In short, these swing voters are being mobilized to the polls by the immigration issue, even if the economy remains a top priority for them.

According to the article: "The McCain campaign had hoped to grow support among conservative Latinos by emphasizing "family values" issues, such as his opposition to abortion and same-sex marriage, as well as the candidate's history of support for comprehensive immigration overhaul. [...]"

Well, new polling about the Latino Evangelical vote shows that , even among these most conservative of Latino voters (over 60% of whom voted for Bush in 2004), immigration, as an issue, is on par in importance with abortion, and more important than same-sex marriage.

According to the poll:

82.8 percent [of Latino Evangelicals] say a candidate's position on immigration is important in determining their vote this year (54.6 percent say very important).

Candidates beware: come January, this new voting bloc will be demanding that the next president make real strides to bring his party on board to fix our dysfunctional immigration system, not just our dysfunctional economy.

 

Posted 10/24/08 at 04:45pm By Web Team

Govote.org: new tool to empower first-time voters

This year, millions of new voters, including the 500,000 new immigrant voters registered by the We Are America Alliance, will head to the polls.  Sadly,  we've already heard experts predicting potential voting problems, whether as a result of new ID laws in some states, misinformation, long lines, or just not knowing where to vote.

Well, GoVote.org is a handy new site that provides voters all the information they need on where to vote early, polling places, ID requirements, and more- in English and Spanish. All first-time voters have to do is put in their zip code, and voila- problem solved.  Ambitious site users can even add their own information.

Now there's no excuse not to vote- so pass it on. Empower your friends. Go vote. Together we can  make sure our communities don't miss out on this historic election.

 

Posted 10/23/08 at 09:44pm By Lynn Tramonte

Extreme ID charges to be heard in Supreme Court

Does this sound like the best way to solve our immigration problems?

Hunt down those who are using fake IDs to work; distort the charges by accusing them not of having fake documents but of "aggravated identity theft"; coerce each individual into pleading guilty to lesser offenses; toss them in jail; and, after they've served jail time on the taxpayer's dime, deport them?

To us, it sounds ineffective. Time-consuming. A wee bit costly. A tad extreme. 

Soon, though, we'll get to hear what the Supreme Court thinks.

The highest court in the land has decided to hear the case of Ignacio Carlos Flores-Figueroa, a Mexican citizen who found himself behind bars after he was convicted of "aggravated identity theft." According to Flores-Figueroa's lawyers, he made up a Social Security number so he could get a job at a steel plant in East Moline, Ill. He was sentenced to more than six years in prison. 

His lawyers argue that because he didn't know the Social Security number was already taken, it wasn't stealing, and that he had no intention of using the number for anything remotely resembling identity theft.

"When a person makes up a Social Security number, having no idea whether it belongs to someone else, it is hard to see how that conduct qualifies as ‘theft' ‑ much less ‘aggravated theft,'" the lawyers said in an Associated Press story. 

Meanwhile, the Bush administration said it doesn't matter. He used the fake ID. He's guilty of identity theft. Period.

Well, it figures that when your political party goads you into derailing your own immigration reform plan, you just throw the book at undocumented workers and hope it sticks. Having the punishment fit the crime is no longer a priority for Lady Justice. 

Unfortunately, this is not an isolated case. 

According to the Chicago Tribune, the legal tactic was first used in January 2007, when 53 meatpacking plant employees were arrested and charged with identity theft. This past May, more than 300 of the undocumented workers rounded up and prosecuted during the Postville, Iowa, meatpacking plant raid were criminally charged. 

"With this threat hanging over their heads, 302 immigrant workers were pressured into pleading guilty to lesser charges," according to the Inspired Faith, Effective Action blog, mostly document fraud. "These lesser charges may bar many of them from returning to the United States ever again, even if their family remains in the U.S." 

Unfortunately for Mr. Flores-Figueroa, the Supreme Court won't hear arguments until next year. In the meantime, this Administration will likely "stay the course" or, rather, increase its use of extreme identity theft charges against undocumented workers, no matter the cost.

Posted 10/23/08 at 02:32pm By Web Team

Immigration Policy Center: New American Voters are fastest-growing voting bloc

New Americans, defined as immigrant citizens and the US-born children of immigrants, are the fastest-growing new voting bloc in the US. Since 2006, they've accounted for 1 in 10 registered voters, and 'turbo-charged' citizenship and voter registration efforts that built off of the momentum of the 2006-2007 immigration marches have only driven up these numbers.

According to the today's new Immigration Policy Center report, "The New American Electorate":

* New Americans Were Nearly 9% of All Registered Voters in 2006
* New Americans Registered Voters Jumped Nearly 60% between 1996 and 2004
* New Americans Share of Registered Voters Exceeded the 2004 Victory Margins in 16 States Including Battlegrounds: Nevada, Florida, New Mexico and Pennsylvania.

For many of the 1 million new citizens that have taken oaths since 2007, as for many of these Newest America Voters, immigration reform is a defining issue that is driving them to vote.

The momentum of the 2006 and 2007 immigration marches has pivoted into this historic display of electoral power by the New American Voter. As we mentioned last week, the Sleeping Giant is awake, alive, and getting ready to roar. It is not just Latino voters, but new citizens, Asian voters, and sons and daughters of immigrants who will change the face of this election. 

 

Posted 10/22/08 at 08:51am By Paco Fabian

Alliance Registers Half-Million New Immigrant Voters, 128,000 in Battleground States

Get ready, poll workers.

Thanks to the hard work of the dozens of organizations that form the We Are America Alliance, you should expect a flood of fresh faces on November 4th.

The We Are America Alliance and its member groups have just announced their success in registering 500,000 new voters. For many of these half-million voters, immigration reform is a top priority, as it was in 2006 and 2007, when immigrants and advocates flooded the streets in the largest marches in our nation's history. Since the failure of reform, stepped-up immigration raids and anti-immigrant campaign rhetoric are serving only to drive many new voters to the polls, to vote for the kind of country they wish to live in.

But members of the Alliance aren't taking this for granted. They will continue contacting these new voters to take part in early voting or to get to the polls on Election Day. Through canvassing, mailings, and phone calls, the Alliance will ensure that more than a million new Latino, Asian, and immigrant voters cast ballots come November.

All of this momentum is poised to play a key role in the upcoming election. Alliance partners registered more than 128,000 new voters in three states, including 37,349 in Colorado, 32,481 in Nevada and 58,217 in New Mexico. What do these three states have in common?

Can you say battlegrounds, baby?

Should these states determine a close runoff, it's quite possible that new immigrant voters could choose our next president. And the candidates are paying attention.

According to a Catholic News Service story, "That's made [Latinos] a particular target of the presidential campaigns, which have waged fierce battles for their vote in Spanish-language media, much of it focused on immigration policy."

So what do these freshly minted voters think of their role? Many of them, including Carmen Gutierrez of California, are excited. She recently attended a voter fair, where she learned more about ballot measures and practiced voting on a mock ballot.

"There are a lot of Latinos here," Gutierrez, who is originally from Mexico, told the Los Angeles Times. "We have to make our voices heard."

Posted 10/17/08 at 06:31pm By Paco Fabian

For Protestant Latino Voters, Immigration is Key

A recent poll entitled, "National Survey of Latino Protestants: Immigration and the 2008 Election," charts the latest attitudes of Latino Evangelical registered voters, a significant part of the Latino electorate in Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and Florida. The poll is sponsored by the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, in partnership with the Jesse Miranda Center for Hispanic Leadership, Faith in Public Life, and Gaston Espinosa, Ph.D., Claremont McKenna College. It sheds light on what's driving Latino voters in these battleground states, and shows just how large a role immigration is playing in determining Latino Evangelicals' political affiliation.

Despite its conspicuous absence during last night's presidential debates, immigration remains one of the most significant issues mobilizing and energizing the growing Latino and immigrant vote, and new evidence is showing that, for Latino Evangelicals, the issue ranks on par with abortion and higher than gay marriage.

Evangelicals are one of the fastest growing segments of the Latino community. In 2004, they represented about one-third of the Hispanic electorate (up from one-quarter in 2000), and 63 percent voted for Bush-the first time on record that a Republican presidential candidate won the Latino evangelical vote. In fact, according to the Pew Hispanic Center, the group accounted almost entirely for Bush's increased share of the overall Hispanic vote, which grew from about 35 percent in 2000 to roughly 40 percent in 2004. 

According to the poll:

82.8 percent [of Latino Evangelicals] say a candidate's position on immigration is important in determining their vote this year (54.6 percent say very important).

This survey finds that Latino Protestants have shifted their support to the Democratic presidential candidate by a wide margin in 2008 and immigration is a key factor in influencing their vote. However, Latino Protestants are as likely to associate negative rhetoric on immigration with both parties as they are with only Republicans - indicating that Democrats have not distinguished themselves as champions for immigration reform.

Last week America's Voice also released a new report entitled, "The Power of the Immigrant and Latino Vote in the 2008 Election."  The analysis highlighted the crucial impact Latino voters are likely to have on the 2008 Presidential election and key House and Senate races. It shows that Latino and immigrant electorate is growing, is highly mobilized, and is strongly influenced by the immigration debate.

It's clear both campaigns get how important these voters are, and how important immigration remains as an issue. If it wasn't, the candidates wouldn't be spending precious campaign dollars on Spanish-language television ads in Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada, and Florida right now to battle it out about who supported comprehensive immigration reform the most.

Posted 10/14/08 at 06:50pm By Frank Sharry

What’s another $154 billion?

And we thought the bank bailout was expensive.

Remember the immigration raid at the Agriprocessors Inc. meatpacking plant in Postville, Iowa, back in May? According to today's Des Moines Register, the raid set taxpayers back $5.2 million. According to the newspaper, "That means it has cost taxpayers an average of $13,396 for each of the 389 illegal immigrants taken into custody."

Keep in mind that the $5.2 million - disclosed through a Freedom of Information Act request with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) ‑ is only what ICE spent.  That doesn't include the cost of criminal trials against the workers charged with ID crimes, indigent defense, and prison.  According to an accompanying editorial in the Des Moines Register, "Prison costs alone ran $590,000 a month as of mid-summer."

So let's do the math, shall we? If it cost $13,396 to arrest each undocumented worker in the United States, and estimates are that there are at least 11.5 million people who fit that definition, then you, I, and the rest of American taxpayers could be looking at forking over $154 billion to ICE alone.

Of course, some people argue that no price is too high for law and order. U.S. Rep. Steve King, R-IA, said laws must be enforced, no matter the price tag.

"If we start saying, ‘Well, it costs too much money to enforce the law,' then we will see more and more of these radical, pro-illegal immigration activists drive more wedges between us and make it harder to enforce the law," King said.

Maybe King has that kind of money, but most of us sure don't.

The Des Moines Register comes to this conclusion: We need to do more than just seal our borders and arrest everyone here illegally. We need comprehensive reform. "A comprehensive plan that brings illegal immigrants out of society's shadows is the better approach," it said. "The next president must lead this nation in building consensus around rational immigration policy, for the sake of our economy and our conscience."

Not to mention our wallets.

Posted 10/08/08 at 01:51pm By Web Team

We’re still waiting…

We’re still waiting, and we’re running out of time.

With only one debate left, the one issue that seems to be missing in action is immigration.  Its absence is somewhat puzzling, as this issue is of particular importance to Latino voters. 

This is no small oversight.  In fact, Latino voters might very well decide our next president.

According to the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund, there is “tremendous enthusiasm” among Latino voters in four key battleground states – Colorado, Florida, New Mexico, and Nevada.  Many of those voters will be going to the polls for the very first time.  There are more than 60,000 new Latino voters in Nevada alone, according to NALEO. 

How many votes did Bush win Nevada by in 2004? About 20,000.

So it’s only right that this important group of voters hear the candidates’ immigration plans – not through sly Spanish-language ads, but in their own words. 

Posted 10/03/08 at 01:24pm By Web Team

New Poll: strong support for Comprehensive Immigration Reform

Likely voters significantly favor comprehensive immigration reform, a new Zogby/Inter-American Dialogue survey shows.

According to The Dialogue's website:

Slightly more than half of likely voters (52%) said they oppose a new path to citizenship for immigrants in the U.S. who are in the country illegally, while 39% said they favor the development of a path to citizenship. A new path to citizenship is supported by 64% of Democrats, but just 17% of Republicans and 34% of Independents.

When presented with more specific parameters of a path to citizenship, however, there was a marked increase in support. Sixty-seven percent would support a path to citizenship for immigrants in the U.S. illegally if they pay taxes, pay a penalty and learn English -- 80% of Democrats, 57% of Republicans and 62% of political independents agree with this new path to citizenship. More than half (54%) said the same for immigrants who were brought to the U.S. by their parents before their 16th birthday. Most (53%) also support expanding temporary worker programs for migrants as a way to fill jobs that are not being taken by American workers.

The bad news is there is still work to do to counter the right-wing, widespread narrative that immigration reform is a simple "give-away."  The good news is, once we do this, the numbers are clearly on our side.

The facts are clear:  67% of Americans support a path to earned citizenship.  Both presidential candidates have also supported a pathway to earned citizenship for hard-working but undocumented immigrants (and that pathway included paying taxes, paying a penalty, and learning English).

While they figure out how to bring their parties on board, we'll redouble our efforts to explain just what it is we're fighting for.

 

Posted 10/03/08 at 09:03am By Paco Fabian

Lou Attacks Legal Immigration, Too

Newsflash: CNN pundit Lou Dobbs hates that this country has a policy of immigration, period. Ok, so maybe that was obvious for most people.

Usually, however, Dobbs does a much better job of hiding it than he did this month.

Lou's main defense against being branded "anti-immigrant," in fact,
is to vigorously proclaim his support for legal immigration. On broadcast after broadcast, he claims to only have beef with "illegal immigration" to this country.

Well, Truth in Immigration's latest video slams Dobbs for backing down on legal immigration and blindly citing FAIR (a recognized hate group) talking points to tank bipartisan legislation in Arizona around legal immigration:



Lou, what part of "LEGAL" don't you understand?

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