Illegal Immigrants to Vote

A GOP legislator representing a constituency in New York City alleges the discovery of compelling evidence that suggests an effort to enroll unauthorized immigrants for voting purposes, despite the city’s refutation of her assertions.

“My office has uncovered [New York City’s] secret scheme to potentially register tens of thousands of migrants to vote in our elections,” Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-N.Y.) wrote on X, formerly Twitter, pointing to a contract between a nonprofit group and the city.

“The right to vote is a sacred right given only to U.S. citizens, & certainly not to those who crossed our border illegally & came to NYC last month. After we sued, a judge ruled noncitizen voting unconstitutional & @NYCMayor must respect the decision!”

During a news conference on December 3, Ms. Malliotakis highlighted that the contract was previously unavailable to the public and was only obtained through a state Freedom of Information Law request.

Valued at $28 million over three years, the contract outlines an arrangement between the city and Homes for the Homeless to manage a shelter in Midland Beach, she asserted.

Moreover, she pointed out that the contract includes a provision directing the nonprofit to distribute voter registration forms to all individuals, available in both Chinese and Spanish.

Additionally, the document specifies that the nonprofit should not inquire about the immigration status of a client or potential client unless it directly pertains to the services being provided.

“On page 50 of this contract, there is an entire section dedicated to voter registration,” the congresswoman stated at the news conference. “We believe this is the smoking gun that proves what we’ve been saying all along—that the city intends to register non-citizens to vote,” she said, referring to the document that was posted to her X account.

The standard protocols for shelter services within the city’s contracts remain uncertain.

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Back in 2021, the New York City Council endorsed a measure that aimed to grant eligibility for non-permanent residents and other legal non-residents to participate in citywide elections. Nevertheless, a Staten Island judge invalidated that measure last year.

“There is no statutory ability for the City of New York to issue inconsistent laws permitting non-citizens to vote and exceed the authority granted to it by the New York State Constitution,” Staten Island Supreme Court Justice Ralph Porzi wrote in the ruling. The city is currently appealing his decision.

At the news conference, Ms. Malliotakis and a group of Republican state officials referenced the voter registration section of the document in connection with the 2021 city council measure, as reported by the Staten Island Advance newspaper.

“They are bringing to you voter registration of people who are here illegally, and as soon as they’re here for 30 days, how is it they’re entitled to vote?” state Assemblyman Sam Pirozzolo said in comments to reporters.

“What’s the first thing they’re going to vote for? Better hotel rooms?” he joked. “How do they even understand the American system of government?”

In a longer statement, Ms. Malliotakis said that New York City “better not be acting in violation of the judge’s ruling that struck down the noncitizen voting law that would have allowed 800,000 noncitizens with a Green Card or Work Authorization and who have resided in New York City for 30 days, to vote.”

On Dec. 4, a spokesperson for the city’s Department of Homeless Services (DHS) denied the lawmaker’s claims, claiming that the voter registration part is required under the city’s law.

“These allegations are false and baseless. DHS is legally required to include language around voter registration in shelter contracts and this guidance applies only to eligible clients who are citizens, and would clearly not apply to asylum seekers in shelter,” the spokeswoman told local media outlets.

The spokesperson claimed that Ms. Malliotakis is “actively working to spread misinformation” and said that her comments are “dangerous misrepresentations of the city’s response to this humanitarian crisis.”

As the trajectory of events unfolds and more information surfaces over time, there remains a reasonable uncertainty that only the future will definitively resolve regarding the accuracy of this claims labeled as “false, misinformation and dangerous” in the present.