Kansas Voting Law Blocked

Posted on May 18, 2016 by Arjun Mishra

Federal Judge Blocks Kansas Citizenship Requirement for Voting

A federal judge has blocked a Kansas law that demands Kansans who are registering to vote furnish proof of US citizenship. Many states over the past six years have focused legislative and financial resources on enshrining laws that increase the requirements that an individual has before she can vote. Voting is romantically seen as the right of every American, but states have strategically attempted to craft “voter ID” laws that disproportionately affect certain classes of people. Kris Kobach is the Secretary of State in Kansas and also one of the authors of SB 1070, the Arizona law that caused a furor and was struck down at the Supreme Court. The ruling means that he is not permitted to enforce the law. The judge ruled that minuscule impact of citizen voter dilution by non-citizen voting is outweighed by the disenfranchisement of US voters. At the time of this ruling, over a thousand Kansans were waiting for their voting verification.

As far as non-immigrant and permanent resident concerns go, the law would have no effect. Nonimmigrants and Permanent Residents are not allowed to vote in the United States (save for very few municipal exceptions for Permanent Residents). This is crucial, especially in an election year. Voting is a right of US citizens only. Only US citizens should register to vote. Many immigrants who obtain their driver’s licenses at the DMV may concurrently be given a voter registration form and may even be persuaded that they are permitted to vote and register to vote. That is not the case. Whether it is heard at a government agency or on a college campus, only US citizens are allowed to register to vote. Only US citizens can vote in US elections. Permanent Residence brings about the legal ability to travel, work, and sponsor certain family members for Permanent Residence. It does not enable you to vote. In Pennsylvania, you must be a citizen for 30 days before you can register to vote.

Fun Immigration Facts

Posted on October 30, 2014 by Andrew Wood

Fun Immigration Facts

Dearborn, MI or (“Dearbornistan”) is 40% Arab-American. It hosts the largest Lebanese American population and the highest percentage of Arabs of any city.

There are more immigrants living in New York City than there are people in Chicago, the third largest city in the United States.

There are over 80,000 immigrants in the Washington Heights neighborhood in Queens. 71% of the Elmhurst neighborhood in Queens is foreign born.

In 2010, Mexicans were the most populous immigrant group in 34 US states. Their homogenous dominance across the American landscape is countered by the Atlantic and Northeast, where the immigrant demographics are more even. Canada is second, counting its diaspora the most populous in 5 US States. Indians are the most populous in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and West Virginia. El Salvador takes Maryland and Virginia. Massachusetts’s largest group is Chinese, Rhode Island’s and New York’s are Dominican, Connecticut’s is Jamaican, and Alaska’s and Hawaii’s is Filipino.

In 1910, Mexicans were the most populous immigrant group in 3 US States – New Mexico, Texas, and Arizona. Arizona and New Mexico did not even receive statehood until 1912.

Over 3,000 immigrants take the oath of naturalization to US citizenship on July 4 every year at Monticello. Monticello is Thomas Jefferson’s estate. Thomas Jefferson, the third president, died July 4, 1826, fifty years after the famed Declaration of Independence signing.

Chief Justice Warren Burger led the naturalization ceremonies of 15,000 new citizens on July 4, 1986.

460 languages are spoken in the United States and 150 languages are spoken by students of the New York City public school system. Queens is the most linguistically diverse area on the earth.

US Immigration Facts

Posted on October 20, 2014 by Andrew Wood

Fun Facts About American Immigration:

Over 41 million immigrants live in the United States. The American immigrant population exceeds the total population of 173 countries in the world. If the American immigrant population were a country, it would be vying with Kenya for 32^nd place in country population. This figure excludes the United States citizen children born to the immigrants.

The United States has more immigrants than the next four leading countries COMBINED. Russia, Germany, Saudi Arabia, and Canada could add their immigrant populations together and still be smaller than the American immigrant contingent.

46% of immigrants are naturalized US citizens and 54% are lawful permanent residents.

In 2012, Mexicans accounted for the most immigrants with 28%. Indians were second place.

Using a 2012 survey, 79% of immigrants said they speak English exclusively at home. Of the 21% who claimed not to speak English exclusively at home, the most popular languages were Spanish (62%), Mandarin (5%), Cantonese (5%), and Tagalog (3%).

Over ten million immigrants call the Golden State home. If the immigrant community of California were a state, its population would make it the eighth most populous state in the union, between Ohio and Georgia.

The Department of Homeland Security removed 438,121 individuals in 2013, marking increases from 2012 and 2011. The 2013 number indicates an all-time high. 72% of the removed individuals were Mexican nationals.

69,909 refugees were admitted to the US in 2013 and 25,199 individuals were granted asylum. The leading countries of nationality for persons granted asylum were 1) China, 2) Egypt, and 3) Ethiopia. The leading countries of nationality for refugee admissions were 1)Iraq, 2) Burma, 3) Bhutan, and 4) Somalia. California, New York, Florida, Virginia, and Maryland host the most number of 2013 asylees.

The foreign-born share of the population is at 13%, which is the not the highest it has been in recorded American history. 15% prevailed from 1890 – 1920, during a prosperous period of American history known as The Gilded Age.

Median household income is lower for immigrants than for American natives. However, it is substantially higher among South Asian immigrants than for American natives, using 2011 information.

2013 Immigration Facts

Posted on October 10, 2014 by Andrew Wood

2013 Immigration Facts

990,553 persons became Lawful Permanent Residents (LPR) of the United States. This is a decrease from 2011 and 2012.

66% of these new LPRs received their status through a family member who is a US citizen or LPR.

New LPRs: Mexico (13.6%), China (7.2%), India (6.9%), Philippines (5.5%).

The Diversity Visa

Every year, 50,000 diversity visas are issued for natives of countries that have historically low rates of immigration to the US. The lottery is free and the season kicks off October 1. Natives of the following countries are barred because over 50,000 natives from those countries have immigrated to the US in the previous five years:

Bangladesh, Brazil, Canada, China (mainland), Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Haiti, India, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, South Korea, United Kingdom, Vietnam

New Lawful Permanent Residents by State 2013

California: 191,806 (19.4%), New York: 133,601 (13.5%), Florida: 102,939 (10.4%), Texas: 92,674 (9.4%), New Jersey: 53, 082 (5.4%). Pennsylvania is number 10 with 24,720 (2.5%).

52% female and 48% male.

Over 58% LPRs are married.

New York City-Northern New Jersey-Long Island more than doubled the second metropolitan finisher (Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ann) in most number of LPRs.