Hey everybody. I just got back from immigration and I thought I’d shoot this short video, because I’ve been worried about something. The deadline for registering to vote throughout the United States is coming up pretty shortly, and I want to make sure that you know who can and who can’t vote. It’s very, very important that if you are not a US citizen that you do not register to vote. Registering to vote can be a deportable offense. It can be very serious. We’ve had many cases in this office and in offices around the country where people mistakenly registered to vote. If you have a green card, you cannot register to vote. You cannot vote. If you have a work permit, you cannot register to vote. You cannot vote. If you have asylum, you cannot register to vote, and you cannot vote. The only people who can vote and the only people who can register to vote are US citizens, so don’t make that mistake.
One time I was volunteering with some other immigration lawyers, and we were talking about all the problems that immigrants get into when they register for citizenship too early. A young man came in and he said that one day he was at home making breakfast, and somebody knocked on the door and they said, “Sir, it’s time for you to register to vote.” He filled out a registration form. Then of course, after he filled out his registration form, what did he get in the mail? He got a voter ID card. Mm-hmm (affirmative). Then when the next election came down, he went down to the election board and he voted. This poor man, even though he was just a green card holder, should never have registered to vote, and he should never have voted, but he voted.
Now, some people would say that everybody should know that only US citizens can vote, but some people get confused. Sometimes when you register for your new driver’s license they tell you, “It’s time to vote. It’s time to register. You better sign up.” You want to do your job, do your duty, and so you go ahead and register to vote through no fault of your own. Remember, if you’re an asylum holder, if you have a work permit, if you have a green card, if you’re here on a visit and someone tells you register to vote you tell them, “No, no, not now, not until I become a US citizen, not until I’ve had my green card for three or five years, and not until I’ve taken my naturalization exam.” It’s only then that you can apply for citizenship. Don’t apply too early. Don’t screw yourself over, because you’re going to get in big trouble. It’s really hard to undo a false claim to US citizenship even if it’s entirely not your fault.
I hope this video helps you out, and if you have any questions give us a call here the Hacking Immigration Law, 314-961-8200, or you can email me at [email protected]. Thanks. If you like this video make sure that you sign-up to register to get a subscription to our YouTube channel so that whenever we update our videos you get an update. We’ll talk to you later. Remember don’t vote unless you’re a US citizen. Thanks.
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