The controversy surrounding the right of non-citizens to vote in American elections has come back under public scrutiny this month, this time after a seemingly innocent remark by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH). The Ohio Republican dared to say: “Only Americans should vote in American elections.”
Jordan’s tweet added: “Yesterday, 162 Democrats voted to allow illegal aliens to vote in elections in Washington D.C. Ridiculous.”
Yesterday, 162 Democrats voted to allow illegal aliens to vote in elections in Washington D.C.
Ridiculous.
Only AMERICANS should vote in AMERICAN elections.
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) February 10, 2023
The backlash against Jordan came as the House, now led once again by a Republican majority, is engaged in tense discussions about managing the illegal immigration crisis that has erupted since Joe Biden assumed office two years ago.
Jordan’s comment was made in the wake of the vote on House Joint Resolution 24, which seeks to set aside a bill passed by the D.C. Council in October 2022 that would give non-citizens living in the district the right to vote for local officials. The resolution passed the House of Representatives with a vote of 260 to 162, with all 218 Republicans voting against the bill and 162 Democrats voting in favor of it.
However, his remark was met with intense criticism from social media users. One user wrote, “Another day, another ridiculous distortion designed to radicalize the low-information pawns in GQP’s war on common sense.”
Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) angrily described the joint resolution as “profoundly undemocratic, paternalistic.” She added, “D.C. residents, a majority of whom are Black and brown, are worthy and capable of governing themselves. Keep your hands off D.C.”
The two profoundly undemocratic, oppressive and paternalistic disapproval resolutions passed by the House today are an unfortunate byproduct of our lack of #DCStatehood.
I will work with my colleagues to ensure they stop here.https://t.co/MqrHzE2CaW pic.twitter.com/RPOQDLIM9j
— Eleanor #DCStatehood Holmes Norton (@EleanorNorton) February 9, 2023
The resolution now heads to the Democrat-controlled Senate, where it will likely face substantial opposition.
Meanwhile, the new GOP majority in the House is taking action to address the illegal immigration crisis that has significantly intensified during the first two years of the Biden administration.
Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) introduced the Border Safety and Security Act (H.R. 29), which would require the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to turn away illegal immigrants who present themselves at the border if they cannot be detained or returned to their country of origin. The legislation is designed to ease the massive pressure on overwhelmed detention centers in every border zone while stopping the mass influx of illegal migrants into the U.S.
Since Joe Biden assumed office, there has been a sharp increase in the number of migrants crossing the southern border illegally, with a record 2.38 million illegal border-crossers encountered by U.S. law enforcement agents in the fiscal year 2022 and a monthly record of more than 251,000 in December 2022. In addition, there have been over 200,000 migrant encounters reported for each of the last ten months straight.
