Note Warns Calif. Hispanics on Voting

California State and federal officials are investigating a letter received by some Southern California Hispanics that says it is a crime for immigrants to vote and tells them they could be jailed or deported if they go to the polls next month.

Associated Press:

State investigators have linked a Republican campaign to letters sent to thousands of Orange County Hispanics warning them they could go to jail or be deported if they vote next month, a spokesman for the attorney general said.

"We have identified where we believe the mailing list was obtained," said Nathan Barankin, spokesman for Attorney General Bill Lockyer.

He declined to identify the specific Republican campaign Wednesday, citing the ongoing investigation. The Los Angeles Times and The Orange County Register both reported Thursday that the investigation appeared to be focused on the campaign of Tan D. Nguyen, a Republican challenger to Democratic U.S. Rep. Loretta Sanchez.

San Franciso Examiner:

"It's a very malicious and degrading letter. It's to pull Latinos down and make them afraid," said Benny Diaz, who is running for City Council in Garden Grove. He said his wife and five other people he knows had received the letter.

The letter, written in Spanish, tells recipients: "You are advised that if your residence in this country is illegal or you are an immigrant, voting in a federal election is a crime that could result in jail time."

The truth is that immigrants who become naturalized citizens can legally register to vote.

The letter contained several grammatical errors and reads like a literal translation
from English to Spanish, suggesting it was not written by a native Spanish speaker.

"Why send something like this?" said state Sen. Gloria Romero, D-Los Angeles. "The intention is clearly to shed fear and intimidation, and ultimately suppress a vote that is critical in the elections."

John Trasvina, interim president and general counsel for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund, suggested the letter might have a backlash
effect.

"A lot of people will get angered by this and say, 'No you can't take away my right to vote,'" said Trasvina.

UPDATE: Orange County Republican leaders on Thursday called for the withdrawal of a GOP congressional candidate they believe sent a letter threatening Hispanic immigrant voters with arrest.