U.S. Supreme Court deadlock on immigration may boost Nevada Latino vote

The U.S. Supreme Court’s deadlock in a major immigration case Thursday adds another dimension to an already hot election cycle.

The question: Will the court’s nondecision — which continues to prohibit thousands of undocumented Nevadans from receiving work permits — galvanize Latino voters angered by it?

Some believe that the Supreme Court tie — coupled with presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump’s controversial statements on Mexican immigrants — could boost Latino turnout rates in the general election.

The decision also puts a spotlight on the Supreme Court justice nomination process. The split vote shows the important roles of not only the president, but also the U.S. Senate in confirming justices, according to David Damore, an analyst with Latino Decisions and a political science professor at UNLV.

“I think what it does is it brings in a new variable and that is the Supreme Court appointment process,” Damore said.

ACTIVISTS REFLECT ON DECISION

So far, the issue has attracted widespread attention. Latino and immigration advocacy groups demonstrated Thursday in Las Vegas and talked about fallout from the 4-4 court decision. State Sen. Ruben Kihuen, a Democratic candidate for the 4th Congressional District, tried to motivate about 35 people during a community forum at a Culinary union event for people affected by the immigration plan.

Immigrant groups and their families will remember those who declined to support past immigration reform efforts, he told them.

“If you don’t support us, we’re not going to support you,” said Kihuen, who is challenging Republican Rep. Cresent Hardy.

The gathering demonstrates how interconnected immigration issues and the political cycle have become. This is particularly true in Nevada, where about 20 percent of voters who cast ballots in November will be Latino, according to an estimate from Latino Decisions, a public polling and research firm.

The Culinary union, a powerful ally for Democratic candidates in Nevada, endorsed Kihuen in the primary cycle. Well before the court decision came down, the group had started mobilizing in a bid to encourage its members to gain citizenship and register to vote.

In a statement, Hardy said he agreed with the split decision, adding that the appropriate vehicle for immigration reform is through Congress.

“By working together, I believe there is a path forward to reforming our nation’s immigration laws in a way that is compassionate,” Hardy said.

At a naturalization ceremony Thursday, Jeanne Kent, Las Vegas field office director for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, recognized 175 new naturalized U.S. citizens.

Josefina Mares, a 26-year-old native of Mexico, expressed her feelings about becoming a U.S. citizen. “I came when I was 6 years old; my parents brought me when I was very little. This country offered my parents shelter, work, and I am very thankful for that. I have always dreamed of this time.”

Her husband, Alfonso Mares, 32, disagrees with the Supreme Court decision that blocked President Barack Obama’s immigration plan.

“Some people that have been here for a long time do deserve to be citizens,” he said. “As long as they have been moral citizens, following the laws, taking their children to school. It is understandable that some people want a better life.”

Mares added that he hoped the next president would take that into account.

REGISTRATION EFFORTS RAMPED UP

Bethany Khan, a spokeswoman for Culinary Local 226, which represents 57,000 workers, many of them Latino, said the union has held more citizenship drives this election cycle than in 2014’s cycle.

Some 1,700 people have moved through their citizenship fairs, hosted in partnership with the Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada, she said. PLAN is an umbrella advocacy organization that represents more than 30 liberal-leaning groups in Nevada.

Khan said the union has seen increased interest from people who want to register to vote and become citizens this election cycle.

“This year, we really kicked it up, because we felt the need in the community,” she said.

Jocelyn Sida, Nevada deputy director of Mi Familia Vota, a group that works to register Latinos to vote, said it has registered more than 7,000 people for the 2016 election cycle and hopes to register 16,000 in all by November.

Sida said the Supreme Court nondecision was likely to spur more people in the Latino community to react at the polls.

“A lot of the kids eligible to vote now have parents that are undocumented, whose parents would have benefited,” she said.

Nevada is one of three key states, along with Colorado and Florida, targeted by a voter turnout campaign by a coalition of national Latino and immigrant rights groups.

In Nevada, several groups including PLAN Action Nevada, America’s Voice and the Center for Community Change Action (CCC Action), are seeking to turn out record numbers of Latino and immigrant voters, including Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders, for the general election.

The coalition is backed by a Super PAC called Immigrant Voters Win PAC. As of March 31, it had raised $3 million from billionaire George Soros, who supports Democratic causes.

“We see this year as an opportunity to really engage and turn out Latino voters,” said Francisco Morales, Nevada director of the Immigrant Voter Project for CCC Action.

DECISION COULD SPUR VOTERS

Damore said he expects to see the enthusiasm of Latino voters grow and benefit groups doing voter registration efforts.

“This just adds to that,” he said of the court decision’s impact on the election cycle.

The decision also highlights the importance of the U.S. Senate, which confirms presidential nominations for justices to sit on the Supreme Court. In Nevada, the open race for outgoing Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid’s seat is a race between Republican Joe Heck and Democrat Catherine Cortez Masto, who would be the first Latina in the Senate if elected.

Review-Journal writer Tatiana Villamil contributed to this report. Contact Alexander S. Corey at acorey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0270. Find @acoreynews on Twitter. Contact Ben Botkin at bbotkin@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2904. Find @BenBotkin1 on Twitter.