Republicans choose not to solve immigration issue, preferring to fearmonger

Editor:

It seems there is a consensus that we need to have an immigration system that allows properly vetted, legal immigrants to work on our farms and industries. That was the reason why eight Senators worked to reform our immigration system in 2013, (the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013).

Again in 2024 a bipartisan group of Senators worked to resolve these issues: (the Emergency National Security Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2024). In both cases Republicans in the House refused to bring these bills to a vote. Republicans, like Congresswoman Claudia Tenney, could bring this legislation to the floor for a vote if they really wanted to have legally vetted immigrants, instead of using it as a campaign issue.

It is also important to correct the idea that non-citizens vote in federal elections. It is illegal for non-citizens to vote in federal elections in every state. The Bipartisan Policy Center reported: “The Heritage Foundation’s analysis of legal actions regarding election conduct found only 24 instances of noncitizens voting between 2003 and 2023. A study conducted by the Brennan Center for Justice analyzing 23.5 million votes across 42 jurisdictions in the 2016 general election concluded that there were approximately 30 instances of noncitizens casting votes.”

President Trump created a commission to root out illegal voting but it was disbanded when there was no evidence of non-citizens voting. Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson, (R-LA), admitted that there was no evidence of undocumented immigrants voting; he told reporters “We all know, intuitively, that a lot of illegals are voting in federal elections. But it’s not been something that is easily provable. We don’t have that number.”

Numerous studies do have the numbers and the fact is undocumented immigrants do not vote. We can continue to be ruled by our fears and prejudice or we can solve issues with knowledge and intelligence.

Ms. Tenney is choosing demagoguery, victimization and fearmongering. Ms. Tenney does not represent the citizens of Western New York.

William Fine

Brockport