{"id":24863,"date":"2021-08-06T10:01:42","date_gmt":"2021-08-06T14:01:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.immigrationreform.com\/?p=24863"},"modified":"2021-08-06T10:01:52","modified_gmt":"2021-08-06T14:01:52","slug":"let-foreign-nationals-vote-immigrationreform-com","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.immigrationreform.com\/2021\/08\/06\/let-foreign-nationals-vote-immigrationreform-com\/","title":{"rendered":"New York Times Op-Ed Calls For Giving Aliens The Vote"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Most Americans rightly oppose<\/a> voting in U.S. elections by people who are not American citizens<\/a>. In spite of this, a small but vociferous and radical minority continues advocating for the de facto disenfranchisement of millions of American citizens<\/a>, whose ballots would be cancelled out by allowing noncitizens to vote. A recent case in point is a guest essay<\/a> in The New York Times<\/em>, penned by Atossa Araxia Abrahamian \u2013 senior editor at the left-wing magazine The<\/em> Nation.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ms. Abrahamian advocates for mass amnesty coupled with granting something as precious as the right to vote in U.S. elections to \u201cpeople with green cards, people here on work visas, and those who arrived in the country as children and are still waiting for permanent papers,\u201d i.e., illegal aliens who arrived in the United States before turning 18. (There have already been cases of aliens illegally voting<\/a>, but the author surely sees that as a good thing.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She asserts that \u201c[e]xpanding the franchise in this\nway would give American democracy new life, restore immigrants\u2019 trust in\ngovernment and send a powerful message of inclusion to the rest of the world.\u201d By\nthis logic, why not allow the population of the entire world to vote in U.S.\nelections? After all, the U.S. is a superpower whose policies affect the entire\nglobe, and any kinds of limitations can be seen as \u201cexclusionary.\u201d And what\nabout restoring Americans\u2019 \u201ctrust in government\u201d before we pander to aliens?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abrahamian claims that \u201cit\u2019s time for Democrats to\nradically expand the electorate.\u201d And she makes it clear that \u201cDemocrats are\nlikely to be the biggest beneficiaries of this change \u2014 at least at first,\u201d\nalthough she adds the disclaimer that \u201c[e]lected Republicans might be induced\nto appeal to a more diverse constituency.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe strongest case for noncitizen voting today,\u201d she\ncontinues, \u201cis representation: The more voters show up to the polls, the more\naccurately elections reflect people\u2019s desires.\u201d Of course, this\ndoes nothing to clarify why the \u201cdesires\u201d of citizens, whose votes would be\ndiluted, should be placed on the same level as those of foreign nationals \u2013 not\nonly \u201cgreen card\u201d holders but even \u201cpeople here on work visas\u201d and illegal\naliens.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The author then argues that \u201c[t]he United States already has plenty of institutions that account for noncitizens: The census aims to reach all residents because it believes everyone, even aliens, matters.\u201d The problem is that knowing how many people are in the country is a far cry from allowing individuals who are not American citizens to vote. Moreover, bad policies \u2013 such as counting illegal aliens towards congressional reapportionment<\/a> \u2013 should not be an excuse to implement an even worse policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Nation\u2019s <\/em>senior\neditor complains that \u201cit\u2019s often much harder to get a visa or green card than\nto then become a naturalized citizen. It took me 15 years and over $10,000 in\nlegal fees (not to mention the cost of college) to obtain permanent residency.\nThe citizenship test and oath feel comparatively like a piece of cake.\u201d She\nadds that \u201c[i]t shouldn\u2019t be this onerous to emigrate.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every immigrant\u2019s circumstances are admittedly different,\nbut Ms. Abrahamian\u2019s perspective sadly reflects much of the mass-migration\nlobby\u2019s view of immigration to the U.S. as an entitlement and something that\nshould be driven by the needs and desires of foreign nationals. In reality,\nU.S. immigration policy should be driven primarily by what benefits the country\nand, yes, its citizenry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What it also obscures is that migration to the U.S. \u2013 both legal and illegal \u2013 is already at historically high levels, and has been so for decades. The problem is not that America is not importing enough people, or that the process is too \u201conerous,\u201d but rather that the demand for it is much higher<\/a> than the U.S. can reasonably accommodate. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. is a republic by and for its citizens<\/em>\n\u2013 not the population of the entire world, and not simply anyone happening to\nfind him or herself on its soil. Being a citizen requires a degree of civic\nallegiance and patriotism that transcends the mere act of residing here for a\nfew years or even paying some taxes. Whether giving away the vote to\npractically any alien within our borders will make foreign nationals more\nattached to our nation is debatable. But what is certain is that it will\ngreatly exacerbate the problem of foreign meddling in our elections and make\ngovernment policy \u2013 which affects all Americans \u2013 dependent on the whims of\nthose who have not even taken the oath of allegiance to our nation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Most Americans rightly oppose voting in U.S. elections by people who are not American citizens. In spite of this, a small but vociferous and radical minority continues advocating for the de facto disenfranchisement of millions of American citizens, whose ballots would be cancelled out by allowing noncitizens to vote. A recent case in point is<\/p>\n

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