(Headline USA) Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, introduced a bill this week that would prohibit Washington, D.C., from allowing illegal immigrants to vote in its elections.
The bill comes in response to a decision made by the D.C. City Council last month to allow non-citizens to vote in local elections as long as they have lived in the district for at least 30 days. The council voted 12-1 for the measure, and now heads to Democrat Mayor Muriel Bowser’s desk for approval.
If Bowser approves the bill, it would then be transmitted to Congress under the D.C. Home Rule Act. Congress can block bills passed by D.C. under the D.C. Home Rule Act. But, as Cruz noted, Congress can also withhold funds from the district if it moves forward with its plan.
“Voting is a distinct right and privilege that American citizens enjoy in the United States. It is a responsibility, not to be treated lightly, and it must be protected,” Cruz told Fox News in a statement.
“Voters decide not only who will lead our country, our cities and communities, but also how our tax dollars should be spent and what policies we should adopt,” Cruz continued.
Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., has also blasted the D.C. proposal as an “insane policy.” He introduced a resolution to block the bill under the D.C. Home Rule Act.
“Allowing illegal immigrants to vote is an insult to every voter in America,” Cotton said. “Every single Democrat should be on the record about whether they support this insane policy.”
The bill has also received criticism from Democrats. Even the Washington Post admitted in an editorial that it was a “bad idea,” as Cruz pointed out.
“Allowing non-citizens and illegal immigrants to vote in our elections opens our country up to foreign influence, and allows those who are openly violating U.S. law or even working for hostile foreign governments to take advantage and direct our resources against our will,” he said.
