President Obama may not be up for re-election in 2016, but he has an interest in making sure Democrats maintain control of the White House.
The Obama Administration announced on Thursday that the White House is starting a nationwide campaign to encourage legal immigrants to become citizens and active voters, hoping to add millions of perspective Democrats in 2016.
Recommended Stories
White House officials told the New York Times they plan on making it easier to complete the final steps to becoming a citizen to help the estimated 8.8 million legal residents.
Practice tests for the civics exam that immigrants must pass will be offered on cellphones. Preparatory workshops will be held in rural areas. Applicants will also be allowed to pay the $680 fee with a credit card for the first time.
Working with regional immigrant groups, the White House is planning 70 citizenship workshops and 200 naturalization ceremonies in the coming week alone.
The Justice Department is pushing local initiatives to make immigrants feel more welcome. The department will make it easier for those who want to help immigrants naturalize obtain credentials to provide voluntary legal assistance.
The Obama Administration also announced that Thursday is Citizenship Day.
According to the Times, 80 percent of immigrants eligible for naturalization are Latino or Asian, two groups that voted for President Obama by a 40 point margin.
Some conservative groups have lashed out over the president’s plan.
“I think it’s healthy for a democracy for people to become citizens. Sadly, I think the administration went overboard. A full-fledged campaign from the White House telling people to become a citizen, I think it is politicizing the naturalization process,” said the Latino Partnership for Conservative Principles Executive Director Alfonso Aguilar.
