Attempts to get the Latino community to the voting booths are now facing an extra challenge, given the increasing anger over the decision by President Obama to delay taking executive action on the issue of immigration reform until the November 4th elections have concluded.
Among those making the most noise about Obama’s decision are the very same non-profit organizations that have been trying the hardest to encourage Latinos to register to vote and then to actually turn up at the polls. These organizations believe that the president has broken yet another of his promises to the Latino community after previously saying that he would use his executive authority to pass immigration reform legislation that has been ignored by the Republican party.
Many DREAMers are also becoming highly critical of Obama, equating his decision to delay executive action to the total inaction of the Republicans over the issue, with many recent protests directly targeting the president. It is a twist that has made a tough situation even more difficult for those organizations trying to work out how to increase Latino participation in elections. “Motivating our community has never been easy,” admits the executive director of Mi Familia Vota, Ben Monterroso.
The great majority of Hispanic voters want immigration reform, according to polls, and some Republicans have been trying to use Latino anger over Obama’s decision to delay to turn Hispanic voters toward their party; however, allies of Obama have pointed out that Latinos are unlikely to be better off with the Republican party controlling both the House of Representatives and the Senate.