In the midst of all the controversy surrounding Tan Nguyen and his famous letter to Hispanics, how many people actually read the “offending” letter? My guess is darn few.
The letter in question has been translated into English and is reproduced below.
Dear ----------,
You are receiving this letter because you have recently registered to vote. If you are a U.S. Citizen, I urge you to participate in the democratic process of voting.
Be advised that if your residence in the United States is illegal or if you are an emigrant, voting in a federal election is a crime that can result in incarceration, and possible deportation for voting without the right to do so.
In the same way, be advised that the U.S. government is installing a new computerized system to verify names of all the newly registered voters who participate in the elections in October and November. Organizations against immigration will be able to request information from this new computerized system.
Not like in Mexico, here there is no benefit to voting. In the United States there is no registration card to vote. Therefore, it is useless and dangerous to vote in any election if you are not a citizen of the United States.
Do not pay attention to a politician who may try to tell you otherwise. They only care about their own interests. They just want to win elections and it doesn't matter to them what happens to you.
Sincerely,
Sergio Ramirez
http://www.theliberaloc.com/pdf/theletterenglish.pdf
After reviewing the letter itself, it is clear that Nguyen's staff is simply reminding citizens to vote and non-citizens not to vote. What is wrong with that, for heaven's sake?
Rather than harassing Tan Nguyen for doing the right thing, the more appropriate action would be to ask Loretta Sanchez why she has not sent a letter like this to the Hispanic community herself!
