Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana has warned that “thousands” of people in the US illegally could change the course of the upcoming US election.
Johnson told reporters at his weekly press conference on Wednesday that some House Republicans have won elections by just a few hundred votes – and sometimes by even less, such as Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-Iowa), who won her first election by just six votes.
“A small percentage of the millions, maybe even billions, of illegal immigrants who have crossed our border over the last four years because of Border Agent Kamala Harris' policies could disrupt our election and disrupt our House majority,” Johnson said.
“It could affect the presidential election. It's a very serious issue.”
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Speaker of the House of Representatives Mike Johnson has warned that votes from illegal immigrants could influence the outcome of US elections. (Getty Images)
The announcement came just hours before the House was scheduled to vote on a measure to extend federal funding for an additional six months in the current fiscal year to avert a partial government shutdown on Oct. 1, as well as a bill to require proof of citizenship in the voter registration process.
The bill, the Protect American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, has been deemed unworkable by the Democratic-controlled Senate and the White House, and President Biden has threatened to veto Johnson's government funding plan.
But Johnson insisted it was “the right thing” for the House to move forward with a vote, even though many Republicans have already opposed aspects of the bill's federal funding.
Pennsylvanians have mixed responses to where Harris stands on key issues.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is unlikely to take up Johnson's bill. (Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
“We will fund our government responsibly and stop foreigners from voting in our elections,” Johnson said.
Opponents of the SAVE Act argue that the bill is xenophobic and unnecessary duplicative, given that it is already illegal for foreign nationals to vote in federal elections.
But Johnson and other Republicans counter that years of progressive policies have made it easier for undocumented immigrants to obtain voter registration forms, and they frame the SAVE Act as an enhanced security measure to prevent illegal voting.
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Prime Minister Johnson is due to hold a vote on foreign nationals and the federal budget bill on Wednesday. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
“It is against federal law for non-U.S. citizens to vote in U.S. elections, but currently states have no mechanism to ensure that they can do so because they are not permitted to require proof of citizenship when registering to vote,” Johnson said.
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“Many states have already conducted audits and found that thousands of illegal immigrants are already on their rolls. As everyone in this room and the entire press knows, some elections are decided by tiny margins, so this is a serious issue.”
Currently, 14 states and Washington, D.C., don't require any documentation to vote at the polls, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
