Three white women beaten by a black mob in Long Beach, California told a court they were physically and emotionally devastated and asked the judge to give "the harshest punishment possible" to nine minors convicted last week for the Halloween attack.

The trio sobbed through much of their statements, saying they did nothing to provoke the beating and have been scared to leave their homes ever since.

Judge Gibson Lee listened intently to the accounts, which he will consider when he begins sentencing hearings Friday.

Defense attorneys said Wednesday they had been told that prosecutors would not seek time in the California Youth Authority for the juveniles, which would have been the maximum penalty possible. None of the minors have criminal records, though one has been accused of battery in an unrelated case.

The Los Angeles County Probation Department has recommended that they spend six to nine months in youth camp.

According to testimony in the seven-week trial, as many as 30 black youths took part in the assault on a street in the well-to-do Bixby Knolls area, which has long attracted crowds with its elaborate Halloween displays.

Witnesses said someone in the mob yelled a racial slur and one black youth smashed a woman in the face with a skateboard. Two other black youths are scheduled to go on trial later in connection with the beatings.

The juveniles on trial claimed that a group of black males wearing black hooded sweatshirts attacked the women. In a tape of a 911 call, a neighbor described the culprits as males in black sweatshirts.

Among the controversial 2006 elections was a U.S. House race in Orange County, California in which thousands of Latino citizens received letters wrongly suggesting they could go to jail for voting.

The measure would also stiffen penalties for voter intimidation.

Obama and Schumer framed the need for the proposed legislation within a larger struggle for suffrage and civil rights.

Under the legislation, anyone who knowingly misleads voters about polling times and places, voter eligibility and registration requirements, candidates’ party affiliation or outside endorsements could face fines of up to $100,000 or five years in prison. In addition, the bill would increase the punishment for voter intimidation from one year to five years in prison.

Other deceptive tactics used in the 2006 campaign included calls to voters in Virginia and incorrectly telling them they were ineligible to vote, and fliers distributed in African American neighborhoods in Maryland wrongly implying that Republican candidates had been endorsed by black leaders.

Officials say higher fees will speed the process. Immigrant advocates say the poor will suffer.U.S. immigration authorities Wednesday proposed hefty fee hikes for citizenship and permanent residency applications, pledging to use the revenue to help shorten processing time and improve service.

But the proposal, which would hike citizenship application fees from $330 to $595, drew immediate criticism that it would put citizenship out of reach for many poor immigrants. The plan also would increase overall fees for green cards, work permits and other benefits an average of 66%.

Some immigrant advocates say that the fee increases build a "new wall" that will make citizenship more difficult to attain.

Immigration officials this month plan to field-test a new citizenship exam they say will be more meaningful, but immigrant advocates fear could be more difficult.

Officials also are discussing a plan to require online application filing, which advocates say will hurt those without computer access.

The agency also is proposing to eliminate fee waivers for certain applicants who are required to be financially self-sufficient. Those include applicants for legal permanent residency and family visas.