House Rightfully Condemns Illegal Voting But Refuses to Fund Border Wall, Says FAIR
(September 26, 2018, Washington, D.C.) — The following statement was issued by Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), in response to House passage of H.Res. 1071, as well as spending legislation that did not contain border wall funding requested by President Trump.
“House Resolution 1071, which recognizes that allowing illegal immigrants the right to vote devalues the franchise and diminishes the voting power of United States citizens, was approved today in the House by a 279-72 vote, with 69 members simply voting present. Recently, a handful of local jurisdictions including San Francisco, CA—which is mentioned specifically in the resolution—have begun to not only allow, but actively encourage, illegal aliens to vote in certain municipal elections.
“Allowing illegal aliens to vote in elections at the local, state or federal level is a slap in the face to the American people because it diminishes their voices by elevating those of foreign nationals who are in the country illegally. Moreover, granting voting privileges to non-citizens before they’ve finished their naturalization process demeans citizenship and waters down the very thing which most immigrants seek and cherish.
“Unfortunately, this vote only further demonstrates that many Democrats in Congress are more concerned with their open borders agenda than they are with their fellow citizens.
“FAIR applauds the Representatives who supported this resolution, albeit a non-binding one. They clearly recognize that our American community has the right to define standards of membership, and that includes the preservation of citizen-only voting. Likewise, these Representatives must also recognize that is the right of our nation to secure our borders and their responsibility to do. By once again refusing to adequately fund the border wall, these lawmakers have abdicated that responsibility. It’s long past time for consistency and more tangible commitments to fix our immigration crisis.”
Contact: Matthew Tragesser, 202-328-7004