Trump-backed push to restrict noncitizen voting gains momentum among House, Senate Republicans.

Republican lawmakers are once again introducing a bipartisan bill to restrict noncitizen voting in federal elections, which was previously promoted by the GOP.

The SAVE Act, introduced by Rep. Chip Roy and Sen. Mike Lee, aims to prevent noncitizens from voting in federal elections.

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

The bill mandates that states obtain physical evidence of U.S. citizenship and identity when enrolling individuals to vote. Additionally, it requires states to establish a system to remove non-citizens from the voter list and enables citizens to file lawsuits against officials who disregard the law.

Last year, the House passed the bill, with five Democrats supporting it, but it was stalled in the Senate, where the Democrat-controlled chamber passed a spending bill without the SAVE Act being included, as Republicans had hoped. President Biden had promised to veto the bill.

The bill has gained significance among Republicans due to the influx of migrants into the U.S. during the Biden administration and states' recent identification of thousands of noncitizens on their voter rolls.

Now, with Republicans in control of the Senate and White House, President-elect Trump has expressed support for legislation that would prohibit noncitizens from casting their votes.

He stated in July that Republicans would have to pass the Save Act or they would have to go home and cry themselves to sleep.

Roy, along with Rep. Andrew Garbarino, R-NY, stated that "the confidence of the American public in elections is crucial to the success of our republic, as it is the responsibility of American citizens to hold these elections."

Our duty as Congress is to ensure that our fellow citizens have confidence in the electoral process. To achieve this, we must implement robust enforcement mechanisms to prevent foreign nationals from interfering with our elections and sovereignty.

Last year, the House passed a critical bipartisan bill, and it must be done again. I am excited to collaborate with the Republican Senate to enact this policy and have it signed into law by President Trump.

The legitimacy of our democratic institutions relies on the public's trust in election integrity, according to Lee.

"The majority of our citizens concur: only Americans should be allowed to vote in American elections. The SAVE Act empowers states to prevent illegal voter registration and safeguard the electoral process from foreign interference," he stated.

Meanwhile, Garbarino criticized New York City for ignoring the American principle of citizens deciding their elections by permitting non-citizens to vote in local elections.

He stated that the SAVE Act safeguards the sanctity of our elections by mandating evidence of citizenship for voter registration, thereby preserving this fundamental right solely for American citizens.

The bill, which has the support of groups such as the Only Citizens Vote Coalition, Tea Party Patriots Action, and the Immigration Accountability Project, has 59 co-sponsors in the House. It was introduced in the lower chamber on Friday and is expected to be introduced in the Senate next week.

The Laken Riley Act, passed by the House on Tuesday, would require federal immigration authorities to detain illegal immigrants convicted of theft-related crimes and allow states to sue the Department of Homeland Security for harm caused by illegal immigration.

Planet Chronicle’ Julia Johnson and Liz Elkind contributed to this report.