".....Donald Trump’s presidential campaign is sparking a record number of citizenship applications and increases in voter registration among Latinos upset by the candidate’s rhetoric and fearful that he would reverse current immigration policy.
The latest federal data on citizenship is still a few weeks away, but already this presidential cycle has seen increased interest. More than 185,000 citizenship applications were submitted in the final three months of 2015, according to government statistics. That’s a roughly 14 percent year-to-year increase and about 15,000 more registrations compared to the same three-month period in 2011 leading into the 2012 presidential campaign cycle.
Across the country, activists, lawmakers and political consultants say they’re experiencing increased interest in applying for citizenship and registering to vote — through phone calls, turnout at citizenship application workshops and visits to congressional offices in pursuit of more information on how to apply.
“A surge in Latino engagement is coming,” said Ben Monterroso, executive director of Mi Familia Vota, a nonpartisan group registering Hispanics in six states.
“Unsolicited, people tell you that ‘I’m becoming a citizen because I want to vote against Donald Trump’ or ‘I want to vote against the attacks on our community,’ ” he added.
Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.), an outspoken advocate for immigration reform, said he’s seeing similar interest in his Chicago district, where his office helped more than 500 people apply for citizenship this spring, a record high.
“I’ve done citizenship fairs throughout my career and there’s something new going on,” he said Wednesday.
The increased activity comes as Trump has continued to anger immigrant and refugee rights activists with his words and campaign pledges. On Wednesday, he told Fox News that he might establish a commission to explore his call for a temporary travel ban on Muslims. Last week, Trump tweeted a photo of himself with a taco salad and the words “I love Hispanics!” on Cinco de Mayo, a Mexican holiday commemorating a military victory over French forces in the 1862 Battle of Puebla.
Supporters defend Trump’s travel ban and taco tweet as sincere overtures to Hispanics and concern for U.S. security. But some GOP leaders continue to warn that his candidacy will end any hope of Republicans winning over minorities....."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/poli...808f34-177a-11e6-924d-838753295f9a_story.html
The latest federal data on citizenship is still a few weeks away, but already this presidential cycle has seen increased interest. More than 185,000 citizenship applications were submitted in the final three months of 2015, according to government statistics. That’s a roughly 14 percent year-to-year increase and about 15,000 more registrations compared to the same three-month period in 2011 leading into the 2012 presidential campaign cycle.
Across the country, activists, lawmakers and political consultants say they’re experiencing increased interest in applying for citizenship and registering to vote — through phone calls, turnout at citizenship application workshops and visits to congressional offices in pursuit of more information on how to apply.
“A surge in Latino engagement is coming,” said Ben Monterroso, executive director of Mi Familia Vota, a nonpartisan group registering Hispanics in six states.
“Unsolicited, people tell you that ‘I’m becoming a citizen because I want to vote against Donald Trump’ or ‘I want to vote against the attacks on our community,’ ” he added.
Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.), an outspoken advocate for immigration reform, said he’s seeing similar interest in his Chicago district, where his office helped more than 500 people apply for citizenship this spring, a record high.
“I’ve done citizenship fairs throughout my career and there’s something new going on,” he said Wednesday.
The increased activity comes as Trump has continued to anger immigrant and refugee rights activists with his words and campaign pledges. On Wednesday, he told Fox News that he might establish a commission to explore his call for a temporary travel ban on Muslims. Last week, Trump tweeted a photo of himself with a taco salad and the words “I love Hispanics!” on Cinco de Mayo, a Mexican holiday commemorating a military victory over French forces in the 1862 Battle of Puebla.
Supporters defend Trump’s travel ban and taco tweet as sincere overtures to Hispanics and concern for U.S. security. But some GOP leaders continue to warn that his candidacy will end any hope of Republicans winning over minorities....."
https://www.washingtonpost.com/poli...808f34-177a-11e6-924d-838753295f9a_story.html
