A Chinese immigrant was sworn in as San Francisco’s election commissioner despite not being a U.S. citizen, a U.S. senator warned that Chinese President Xi Jinping was playing a “long game,” and said national security There is growing concern about
Immigrant rights activist Kelly Wong, who came to the United States from Hong Kong in 2019 for graduate studies, was unanimously appointed by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on February 14th as the city’s election commissioner.
He is believed to be the first non-citizen to serve on San Francisco’s board after California voters approved a bill in 2020 that would eliminate citizenship requirements to serve on the board. .
“There’s always a voice in my head saying, ‘You can’t do that.’ You’re incompetent. You’re an immigrant. This isn’t your country,” Wong said. told KQED Following last week’s historic appointment.
“If I can do it, you can too,” she said.
In her new role, Wong, who cannot legally vote herself, is one of seven people to oversee and implement the elections department’s policies.
She will oversee voter registration, mail-in voting, polling places and election monitoring.
“This appointment is a milestone for all immigrants and marginalized communities across San Francisco,” Wong wrote on her now-deleted LinkedIn profile last Thursday. According to the Epoch Times.
“Representation is important. Thousands of immigrants living in our city are involved in politics, and there is no better way to have us represented than by serving in leadership positions.
“I am deeply committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of immigration status, has a seat at the table in shaping the future of our city,” she added.
Mr Wong said he wanted to increase the voting participation of immigrants and non-English speakers.
“Although I am fluent in English, I still face challenges navigating the new system, let alone participating in political conversations and activities,” she told KQED.
But since the position is unpaid, Wong also plans to continue working with the advocacy group Chinese for Affirmative Action, a non-governmental organization founded in 1969.
Its mission is to protect the “civil and political rights of Chinese Americans” and promote multiracial democracy in the United States. According to the website.
The group has previously lobbied the government to change the law to allow noncitizens to vote in San Francisco school board elections if their children attend schools within the district.
However, Wong’s appointment as election commissioner has sparked concerns across the country about China’s growing influence, with Sen. Eric Schmidt (R-Missouri) announcing that 452 Chinese immigrants are at the southern border. Following the arrest, President Xi Jinping warned that he was playing a “long game”. The incidents occurred in the past three days, according to Customs and Border Protection data.
“Look, they’re flooding the border with fentanyl and killing Americans,” he said. He told FOX Business’ Maria Bartiromo on Tuesday.
“China is playing the long game here,” the Republican senator said, arguing that China is “fully present in the places where people make decisions, including the White House.”
“This is how civilizations end up going astray. The idea of having open borders where anyone can come from anywhere with no questions asked is ridiculous,” Schmidt said. continued.
“We need to do everything we can now to hold Mr. Mayorkas and Joe Biden accountable,” he said, referring to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, whom the House impeached last week.
The newspaper has contacted the Board of Elections and the San Francisco Mayor’s Office for comment.
