Politics: Natural(ized) Enemies

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Politics Natural(ized) Enemies How Republicans made foes of America's newest citizens. By Amanda Frost Posted Thursday, Jan 17, 2013, at 04:28 PM ET For years now, Republicans have successfully fought for legislation making life hard for immigrants. Laws on the books bar immigrants from receiving public benefits and obtaining government jobs, threaten them with deportation for minor offenses, and in some instances encourage police harassment. But the GOP should tread more carefully when it comes to immigration—and not only because some of the party's positions might offend Latinos. Ironically, the Republican push for laws designed to encourage "self-deportation" have accomplished something entirely different; they have created a politically significant bloc of naturalized citizens who are deeply motivated to vote out those politicians who enacted these laws in the first place. Much has been written about the record turnout of Latinos in the 2012 election, which has put immigration reform back on the political agenda. Mostly overlooked is the newfound electoral strength of naturalized citizens, who also care deeply about immigration reform, but who cannot simply be lumped together with the Latino vote. Naturalized citizens comprise more than 8 percent of eligible voters, two-thirds of whom are not Latino They constitute a discrete, and increasingly powerful, voice in favor of immigration reform. Of particular interest are the newly naturalized citizens—those who became Americans in the last decade—because surveys show that both their choice to pursue American citizenship and their subsequent voting behavior are influenced by the politically charged atmosphere surrounding immigration. Immigrants can be denied many of the public benefits available to citizens, such as access to Medicaid, food stamps ... To continue reading, click here. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES Also In Slate Don't Overreact to Mali (or the Hostages) The Next Second Amendment War Vouching Against Creationism	Advertisement
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