Exchanging Illegal Immigrants for Votes:
Conducting Agendas or is it Prejudice?
What are the agendas of politicians and the sole purpose for controlling illegal immigrants in the United States? According to Abrams (2006) of the Associated Press, states, “requiring Americans to show proof of citizenship in order to vote, and the Senate moved to build a 700-mile fence along the Mexican border, sharpening attacks on illegal immigration before the midterm elections.” By combining and voting on the two issues requiring Americans to show proof of citizenship upon voting and building a fence along the Mexican border, send mixed messages to the American people. A Republican, Rep.John Mica, R-Fla bluntly said to the Associated Press, "This is what Americans want," "They want safe borders and they want safe ballots.” (Abrams, 2006) This raises two questions.
Is it Prejudice?
First, is the republican-led congress making pre-judgments of the American people and illegal immigrants? They’re adding stereotypes to illegal immigrants such as poor, illegal, criminals and gang members. An example of this is according to Rep.Vernon Ehlers, R-Mich., chairman of the House Administration Committee states, “the voter identification bill is a commonsense way to stop fraud at the polls,” (Abrams, 2006). However a paragraph before his statement includes plans to deport gang members and criminals in the US (Abrams, 2006). So is the republican-led congress making a prejudicial connection between “illegal immigrants” to “voter fraud,” by combining the two issues? So when it comes election time, voters may be more inclined to vote republican because they have associated “illegal immigrants” to “voter fraud” by stereotypes like illegal, economically poor Mexicans, criminals and gang members.
Are they Conducting Agendas?
Second question raised; could in fact the passing of two issues make it much more difficult for certain minority groups, such as the poor and the elderly (stereotypes typically associated with legal and illegal immigrants), obtain proper identification (Abrams, 2006)? This would disqualify any person their right to vote, and would essentially add burden to the minority and immigrants who are citizens but lack necessary identification to vote. Could this add more prejudice toward legal and illegal immigrants and to the American society?
Reference
Abrams, J. (2006, September 20). House passes bill to make voters show id. Associated Press, Retrieved September 20, 2006, from
http://customwire.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/IMMIGRATION?SITE=ALOPE&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2006-09-20-22-30-02
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