What was the main reason that immigrants in the cities became new voters in large numbers?

When immigrants have come to the United States, many ended up living in deplorable conditions, enduring poverty while they learned English and acquired job skills. In many cases, as a result of these difficult living conditions, they were mobilized by political parties (or by individual candidates) who believed the immigrants could become a loyal and highly-motivated bloc of voters. Many immigrants bought into this idea-- that living in a free country meant being able to vote, and they were excited to do so. (Other immigrants came from countries where there was no such tradition as democracy, and they did not see voting as very important.) However, more often than not, immigrants were mobilized by candidates who understood their concerns and spoke their native language.

Historically, not all politicians have reached out to immigrant communities, and in fact, at some times, there was great resistance to including immigrants-- even those who were legal and trying to become citizens. But some politicians have made it a point to reach out to immigrants, promising them a voice in improving their lives or promising that once they became citizens, they could have more of a say in policies that affected them.