(Washington, D.C.) – U.S. Senator David Vitter (R-La.) today introduced a bill that would make it a deportable offense for illegal aliens and noncitizens who vote in federal elections. There are estimates of tens of thousands of illegal aliens registered to vote in the U.S.
“While this may sound bizarre to a lot of folks in Washington, illegal aliens and noncitizens have no constitutional right to vote in American elections. And they certainly shouldn’t influence the outcomes. Louisianians and the rest of America understand this as common sense,” said Vitter. “My bill injects some of that common sense and puts teeth into voter laws so we can uphold the integrity of American elections. Of course we want immigrants to become voters once they become citizens, but our election system and our right to vote are being taken advantage of because of weak enforcement.”
Vitter’s bill, the Protect Voter Integrity Act, would make voting in federal elections by an illegal alien a deportable offense. It would also make this crime an aggravated felony under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), which would automatically subject an illegal alien who commits this crime to expedited removal.
Vitter has long been an advocate for cracking down on voter fraud. In 2008 he helped launch investigations into the groups ACORN and Voting is Power for alleged voter registration fraud. In 2008 and again at the beginning of this Congress, Vitter introduced legislation which would prevent voter fraud by implementing a series of requirements on individuals involved in the distribution of voter registration application forms for federal elections.
Vitter serves as chairman of the U.S. Senate Border Security and Enforcement First Immigration Caucus.
| 20th - | Vitter Bill: Illegals that Vote in Federal Elections Subject to Deportation |