Obama Backs Citizenship Promotion Bill
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Printable FormatBy SUZANNE GAMBOA, The Associated Press
WASHINGTON — Presidential hopeful Barack Obama joined in an effort to keep U.S. citizenship within reach for immigrants — including some 9 million already eligible to become citizens.
Although illegal immigration is presenting some thorny challenges for Democrats, the idea of promoting American citizenship for those who enter the country legally is widely supported in both parties.
Being part of the effort could have some political payoff for Obama, a Democratic senator from Illinois.
Naturalized citizens tend to be more likely to vote and many have not aligned themselves with a political party, according to studies by the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials. About half of the millions of citizenship-eligible immigrants are Latinos.
"When you talk about folks that can be wooed and can be won over, there's no affiliation to any political party, it makes sense," said Larry Gonzalez, a Latino political consultant with the Raben Group lobbying firm.
Attempts to provide more funding for English and civics classes for immigrants withered last year when a sweeping immigration reform bill stalled under the Republican-controlled Congress.
The Bush administration drew heavy criticism recently with plans to nearly double the cost of applying for U.S. citizenship and drastically raise fees for other immigration benefits.
"For more than a year you've heard lawmakers from every corner of this city and governors from just about every border state ... say, 'Crack down on illegal immigration. Get control of it, but make life better for people who want to come to the country legally and want to become our newest citizens,'" Obama said Tuesday.
Legislation introduced by Obama with Reps. Luis Gutierrez and Jan Schakowsky, also Illinois Democrats, would require the federal government to freeze application fees at current levels.
The bill also calls for $80 million a year to promote citizenship and provide grants to community groups that assist immigrants in becoming citizens.
The bill's message to legal immigrants is "if you work hard, if you act responsibly, if you take care of your children, if you embrace our values, then we will work just as hard to ensure that you get a fair shot at joining the American family," Obama said.