The Biden-Harris administration has just been hit with a major lawsuit from the state of Florida for pushing back against the effort to purge non-citizens from voter rolls.
The lawsuit comes as the Biden-Harris admin has been accused of blocking the efforts of several states to prevent non-citizens from voting in the upcoming presidential election.
Florida’s lawsuit accuses the White House of blocking requests to verify immigration records so that the Sunshine State can ensure the integrity of its voter rolls and prevent non-citizens from voting.
In the lawsuit, the state argues that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is mandated to respond to an inquiry from state or local governments seeking to verify the immigration status of anyone in their jurisdiction for a purpose authorized by law.
“Because the federal government is refusing to comply with these obligations and frustrating Florida’s ability to maintain the integrity of its elections, Florida files this suit,” the lawsuit says.
Florida says it “has an obligation to maintain accurate and current voter registration records.”
The lawsuit also notes the impact of the crisis at the Southern Border.
The Biden-Harris administration’s open border policies have brought millions of illegal aliens into the U.S., many of whom are registering to vote in America’s elections.
Florida argues that it cannot track and maintain immigration information on its own.
States can verify status through a DHS program called the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program.
According to the lawsuit, DHS and Florida have an agreement to allow the state to use SAVE to verify immigration and citizenship status for people on voter registration rolls.
However, the lawsuit claims that Florida’s Department of State identified several individuals for whom it had evidence that they were not citizens.
Yet, Florida’s State Department couldn’t run a search via SAVE as it doesn’t have unique identifiers.
The state says it reached out to DHS’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
Florida requested the verification of those people but was denied.
“Thus, Florida has identified a subset of individuals for whom it cannot verify citizenship or immigration status through SAVE and for whom DHS refuses to verify citizenship or immigration status through other means,” the state says.
The state is seeking an order saying the refusal to provide Florida with a response is unlawful, a declaration that they are entitled to a response, and an order requiring DHS to respond to the inquiry.
In a statement, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody said:
“Voting is a right granted to American citizens — not illegal immigrants or other noncitizens.
“The Biden-Harris administration has allowed millions of illegal immigrants into the country, and we must ensure that only citizens are on our voter rolls.
“I am taking legal action against the Department of Homeland Security and Secretary Mayorkas to ensure Florida is able to maintain the integrity of our state’s voter rolls.”
Florida Secretary of State Cord Byrd stated:
“The Florida Constitution is clear that only citizens can vote in our elections.
“Florida is calling on the federal government to dismantle the barriers blocking the states from obtaining critical information needed to prevent non-citizens from voting in our elections.
“We are going to prevail in our effort to uphold the law and uphold the Constitution’s guarantee of one citizen, one vote.”
A similar lawsuit was filed by the state of Ohio, requesting access to multiple DHS databases.
It marks the latest in a continued back and forth between GOP-led states and the Biden administration over concerns about noncitizen voting.
Several states have made efforts to remove non-citizen voters from the rolls.
However, some states have fallen foul of the Biden-Harris administration.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has sued both Alabama and Virginia over those states’ efforts to remove noncitizens.
The DOJ argues that the states have violated the Quiet Period Provision, which says that states must complete maintenance no later than 90 days before the election.
In a statement responding to the DOJ lawsuit against his state, Virginia’s Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin called the lawsuit “politically motivated.”
No comments:
Post a Comment