Obama, Romney Court Latino and Immigrant Voters at Second Presidential Debate

Obama, Romney Court Latino and Immigrant Voters at Second Presidential Debate

Immigrant vote key to deciding upcoming elections

The following is a statement by the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights about immigration being addressed during last night's presidential debate

CHICAGO -- At last night's presidential debate, President Obama and Governor Mitt Romney debated over the fate of immigration. The Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights (ICIRR) reaffirms its commitment to mobilize Latino, Asian and Middle Eastern voters to the polls on November 6. The debate underscored the importance of the Latino and immigrant vote, with President Obama and Governor Mitt Romney both attempting to court Latino and immigrant voters during a heated exchange on immigration reform.

The candidates expressed starkly different views on how to fix our immigration system. While President Obama highlighted the need for Comprehensive Immigration Reform, including a pathway to citizenship for undocumented youth, Mr. Romney pledged to stop employers from hiring undocumented workers.

The Latino and immigrant vote in Illinois and throughout the country has the potential to impact key races on the federal, state and municipal levels. Currently, ICIRR through it's New Americans Democracy Project (NADP) has registered a record number of 26,498 new immigrant voters--58% in the City of Chicago and 42% in the suburbs. ICIRR will contact 159,885 Latino, Asian and Middle Eastern voters during Early Voting and on Election Day through door knocks, phone calls and mailings.

ICIRR will continue to mobilize the immigrant vote in Chicago and the suburbs, particularly in areas of Suburban Cook County and collar counties--Lake, Will, DuPage and Kane--where the immigrant population has grown significantly over the last decade. In 2008, low-propensity voters contacted by ICIRR were twice as likely to vote as those who were not contacted by our organization.