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Migrants see Obama as a better choice
A voter gets up after filling out a paper ballot during the final day of early voting at the Lancaster Board of Elections November 5, 2012 in Lancaster, Ohio. Ohio, a battleground state which no Republican has won the US Presidency without its electoral votes, is closely contested between US President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney. PHOTO/Brendan SMIALOWSKI
What you need to know:
- At the centre of the row are thousands of presumed illegal immigrants who are keen to formalise their stay in the US and get permanent residents among some other favours and who are caught up in the US government’s Comprehensive Immigration Reforms programme.
- During his reign, President Obama’s position had been that only immigrants with criminal records back home be repatriated while the rest be accorded a chance to seek permanent residency while staying in the US.
- Mr Romney has however earlier made what has come to be known as “self-deport” proclamation in which he pushes for tightening of conditions for all illegal immigrants to compel them to take the earliest means possible back to their countries of origin, irrespective of other conditions.
President Barack Obama’s accommodative approach to challenges facing immigrants in their bid to get US citizenship is earning him crucial support from Kenyan-American voters in the US elections.
Members of the group who talked to Daily Nation in Cincinnati, Ohio – a major battleground state - said many immigrants have been dishearten by a radical stand by his challenger Mitt Romney which may see thousands of immigrants deported from US if the latter had his say.
And they can only forestall this by voting back President Obama for his second and final four year term in the elections which climax today (Tuesday), the Kenyan-American said.
At the centre of the row are thousands of presumed illegal immigrants who are keen to formalise their stay in the US and get permanent residents among some other favours and who are caught up in the US government’s Comprehensive Immigration Reforms programme.
During his reign, President Obama’s position had been that only immigrants with criminal records back home be repatriated while the rest be accorded a chance to seek permanent residency while staying in the US.
Mr Romney has however earlier made what has come to be known as “self-deport” proclamation in which he pushes for tightening of conditions for all illegal immigrants to compel them to take the earliest means possible back to their countries of origin, irrespective of other conditions.
“Mitt Romney’s stand is suicidal for immigrants as it would not only render many who are earning their livelihood honestly jobless but also tear apart families.
‘‘This would be too harsh for the affected groups,” Mr Pius Kimaiyo, an IT expert in Cincinnati, Ohio and a voter.
Revealing that he cast his early vote for Mr Obama last Friday, Mr Kimaiyo he was in support of a sober approach to the problem taking into account all the prevailing factors including the plight of the immigrants.
He pointed out that though the comprehensive immigration reforms programme was started by President George Bush, a Republican, his party later withdrew their support for it in a bid to let Obama carry the blame should it backfire.
