Photo by Comunicas FoundationBoston City Councilor At-large and Dorchester resident, Annissa Essaibi-George, made public her opinion on the discussion about extending voting rights to non-citizen residents in Boston, after a City Council hearing on the matter.
Essaibi-George applauded the “the ability to host discussions related serious issues” in the City Council and highlighted the importance of public dialogue to the democracy, nevertheless, she considers that an extension of voting rights to non-citizen residents “is not the right conversation nor where we should be focusing our efforts.”
Annissa, who is a first-generation American, daughter of two immigrants, stated that she “firmly support creating a path to citizenship for all immigrants” and pledged her commitment to “protect them, make them feel safe, and support their active participation in their community.”
On July 18th, 2018, the Boston City Council Committee on Government Operations held a public hearing to “explore voting rights for immigrants with legal status and other inclusive practices.”
According to the USA Census, 16% of the Massachusetts population are immigrants, and half of them are not yet citizens.
