After a failed mission to turn one million green card holders into citizens before the November elections, the anti-Trump campaign team has been left in the lurch.
According to The Washington Times, around 600,000 naturalization applications were filed with the immigration service, in the period between December and June, which was noted to be 9 percent more than the same duration in 2012, the previous presidential election year.
Hispanic rights groups, which have now shifted focus towards voters who never registered before, are reportedly facing a cash crunch, hence unable to turnaround the campaign. However, they say they are still confident of a large turnout in November.
"If you spend any time in my district or in Puerto Rican, Mexican or immigrant communities anywhere across the country, you will see for yourself that this is going to be a historic election and that Trump is a voter-mobilization machine," said Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez, an Illinois Democrat who was a part of the citizenship effort.
The advocates were hoping to cash on Donald Trump's stance against illegal immigration.
What makes matters worse is the backlog at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
"Nearly 525,000 applications were awaiting approval on June 30, up from about 388,000 at the beginning of January," the report stated.
The situation raises doubt whether all of those who are in the wait-list will get through in time to cast their vote.
USCIS has made its stand clear that it won't be swayed by the election deadline. "We will adjudicate pending applications as quickly as possible. We are managing our resources, including focusing manpower where it is needed," James McKinney, an agency spokesman, was quoted saying.
Meanwhile, advocates said they hoped the agency could speed up the process.
"From a customer service standpoint, you would want to address a backlog," said Rosalind Gold, senior director of policy, research and advocacy at the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials Educational Fund.
Advocates had taken up the citizenship drive with a goal of 1 million.
Last year, Trump vowed to crack down on illegal immigrants. He also accused Mexico of "sending rapists and other bad elements of society" to the U.S., according to The Huffington Post.
The citizenship drive was intended to condemn Trump, followed by a massive effort to register and encourage Hispanics to vote against the Republican nominee on Election Day.