Conservatives urge Congress to address noncitizen voting: 'It's time to act'

Conservatives across the U.S. are calling on Congress to pass legislation to restrict noncitizen voting in federal elections, as concerns about its prevalence persist.

Members of the State Freedom Caucus Network, comprising twelve state chairs, are urging Congress to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act.

The election of Donald J. Trump as the 47th President of the United States was a clear indication that illegal immigration was a top electoral issue for millions of voters. Now, it is time for Congress to take action and listen to the message of those voters.

The bill, recently reintroduced in the House and Senate by Rep. Chip Roy and Sen. Mike Lee, mandates states to obtain in-person proof of U.S. citizenship and identity when registering individuals to vote. Additionally, it requires states to establish a program to remove noncitizens from the voter rolls and enables citizens to file lawsuits against officials who violate the law.

Although only citizens are allowed to vote in federal elections, Republicans argue that enforcing this rule is difficult because noncitizens and illegal immigrants are eligible for driver's licenses and other benefits in certain states, which can result in them being registered to vote.

The border crisis, which intensified in 2021 and was resolved in 2022, has fueled fears about noncitizens on voter rolls. Several states have removed thousands of noncitizens from their voter lists. Critics argue that noncitizens rarely vote and that it is already illegal. However, the chairs expressed concerns about the migrant influx and the drive to boost voter registration.

The state chairs express concern about the growing number of illegal aliens in our population, which is already home to more than 20 million noncitizens, with no monitoring of their activities and a government mandate to promote voter registration without proper safeguards.

The State Freedom Caucus Network was established in 2021 with the support of the House Freedom Caucus and has since expanded into various states. The organization assists state-level caucuses in establishing and maintaining their adherence to conservative principles, similar to the House Freedom Caucus.

The chairs conveyed to Fox that they viewed noncitizen voting as a crucial issue for their state.

"The South Carolina Freedom Caucus Chairman Jordan Pace stated that voters in South Carolina want to feel secure about their ballot box. The SCFC has consistently introduced legislation to achieve this goal, including prohibiting the use of taxpayer funds to provide voter forms to non-citizens, closing primaries, and increasing hand-counted audits of elections. However, the moderates in the House have consistently blocked the SCFC's efforts."

Jake Hoffman, Arizona Freedom Caucus Chairman, highlighted a bill he introduced in the state that was enacted into law in 2022, which requires the rejection of forms without evidence of citizenship.

He stated that the SAVE Act's fixes are necessary in federal law to prevent the illegal registration of noncitizens under the guise of law by using the federal form.

Congress is focusing on illegal immigration issues, with both chambers controlled by the GOP and President-elect Trump set to take office.

The Laken Riley Act, which demands the detention of illegal immigrants charged with theft-related crimes, passed the House and advanced in the Senate with Democratic backing earlier this month.