Homeland Security Secretary Advocates for SAVE America Act
On Friday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem emphasized her support for the SAVE America Act, criticizing those against the legislation for supposedly favoring undocumented immigrants at the polls.
Noem spoke in the Phoenix area, highlighting the Trump administration’s initiatives aimed at bolstering election integrity and ensuring voter safety. She pointed out that the SAVE America Act would mandate proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote, require a photo ID for federal elections, and enable states to purge noncitizens from voter rolls. Interestingly, she noted that both Republicans and a majority of Democrats back the proposal.
However, critics argue that the bill could disenfranchise millions. Noem dismissed these criticisms at a press conference, calling them “baseless speculation from the radical left” and suggesting that opponents are looking to allow illegal immigrants to vote. “They want to disenfranchise the American people by telling them their votes don’t count,” she said. “The only reason anyone is against this bill is they want to cheat.”
Continuing her remarks, she asserted that opponents want foreign nationals to have the right to vote, which, in her view, undermines American citizens’ votes. “And that’s why they resist us at every level,” she added.
Amidst these discussions, Democrats in Congress have labeled the SAVE America Act as an attempt to remove numerous citizens from the voting rolls, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer referring to it as “Jim Crow 2.0,” a phrase used to describe current voter suppression efforts.
Noem also touched on the relatively low number of undocumented immigrants registered to vote across various states. “There is no room for non-Americans in our electoral system,” she remarked, asserting that the electoral process should be free from fraud or foreign influence.
She urged Arizona to update its voter rolls, mentioning that the Department of Homeland Security’s Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) system could assist in this task. This program is designed to help agencies assess individuals’ citizenship and immigration status.
“Maybe it’s someone who has passed away, someone who is not a citizen, or someone who doesn’t live here,” she explained. “That way, when people vote in the next election, they can be confident that their votes will be accurately counted, free from outside interference.”
