Noncitizens Will Determine Outcomes as New York City Gives Them the Right to Vote

December 10, 2021, Washington, D.C. — Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), issued the following statement after the New York City Council approved a bill to let noncitizens vote in citywide elections:

“Two and a half centuries ago, our nation was founded on the principle that sovereign people should determine their own destinies. In December 2021, the city council of our nation’s largest city unilaterally rejected that founding principle and empowered noncitizens to determine the outcome of local elections.

“The right to vote is at the very core of the principle of self-determination and what it means to be a citizen. The actions of the council and lame duck mayor who has no intention of vetoing are the next, and most damaging, step in New York City’s ongoing effort to erase any distinction between American citizens and noncitizens. About 1.2 million votes were cast in last month’s mayoral election. With the addition of some 900,000 noncitizens to the voter rolls, foreign nationals will almost certainly decide the outcome of future elections.

“Last month, New Yorkers overwhelmingly rejected the failed, woke policies that were the hallmark of the de Blasio era. While Mayor-elect Eric Adams provides a stark contrast to the outgoing mayor in many areas, he too supports efforts to devalue the votes of American citizens in all five boroughs. Adams should ponder his stance and consider what the council’s majority leader, Laurie Cumbo, has noted, ‘This particular legislation is going to shift the power dynamics in New York City in a major way and we do not…know how that is going to impact African American communities who have been the most vulnerable in their existence in New York.’

“The actions of the city council and outgoing mayor will harm all Americans in New York City, as citizens of other countries will decide how New Yorkers are governed – which is the very antithesis of self-determination.”

EDITORS NOTE: This FAIR column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.

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