Texas Republicans Press Biden Harris Admin Over ‘Turning a Blind Eye’ to Non-Citizen Voters
By Congressman Randy Weber
Texas Insider Report: (WASHINGTON, D.C.) – Last week, I led a group of my fellow Texas Republicans in sending a letter to U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) Director Ur Jaddou urging her to comply with Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson's request for help verifying that non-citizens are not being registered to vote. This follows Governor Greg Abbott’s action in August, when he purged 6,500 potential noncitizens from our voter rolls.
We’re committed to ensuring the integrity of our elections and making sure only eligible Texans are casting ballots.
The Harris-Biden administration's refusal to provide Texas with crucial information is a clear dereliction of duty. They’re turning a blind eye to noncitizens influencing our elections, and they even killed the SAVE (Safeguard American Voter Eligibility) Act, which would have barred non-citizens from voting.
Federal law prohibits non-citizens from voting, so why won’t they hand over the voter rolls Texas needs to keep our elections clean?'
- READ MORE: Texas Issues New, Updated Guidance for Voting with Limited-Term Driver’s Licenses or ID Cards
- Local Texas Election Officials who encounter individuals trying to vote by presenting a Non-Citizen Drivers License must require that proof of citizenship is also provided before they could cast their ballot.
My Texas Republican colleagues and I demand they release the information without delay.Here is what the letter said:
Director Jaddou:
We write to you today as Members of Congress, and as Texans, in support of Secretary of State Jane Nelson’s September 18, 2024 request to your agency to assist the State of Texas in verifying that non-citizens are not registered to vote in our great state of Texas. Governor Greg Abbott has already announced the removal of 6,500 potential noncitizens from Texas voter rolls; given this unsettling reality, the federal government has a duty to ensure that Texas can accurately verify the citizenship of its voters.
As you know, and as Secretary Nelson notes in her letter to you, both federal and Texas law prohibit non-citizens from registering to and casting a vote in the State of Texas. Although the Biden-Harris administration refuses to take any action to protect states against the influx of illegal aliens at our southern border—1,254 miles of which borders Texas—you still retain a constitutional, statutory, and moral imperative to assist the state in doing what is right.
The request submitted by the state to obtain USCIS citizenship data regarding voter registration in Texas is not only legal, but urgent. The election is around the corner, with the deadline for voter registration already passed on October 7th, and the deadline for absentee and mail-in ballots is October 25th.
It is paramount that the state’s county registrars can check and confirm the eligibility of each voter, and your agency is the only entity with the data to help. The deadline provided by the state, October 2nd, left your agency with ample time to provide that information. On the afternoon of October 2nd, Secretary of State Nelson informed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton that, “my office has not received any reply from the federal government.”
This is an unacceptable dereliction of your duty.
Texas’s situation is not an isolated case. The Biden-Harris administration has consistently dismissed the prospect of non-citizens voting, erroneously claiming, “current laws to prevent noncitizen voting are working.” Yet the administration is preventing states from enforcing those laws, as evidenced by the failure to provide Texas with citizenship data, and its recent lawsuit against Alabama’s removal of non-citizens from its voter rolls.
In June 2012, the State of Florida was forced to sue DHS to gain access to the SAVE System to help verify the citizenship status of voters in Florida.
We reiterate our intent that you expeditiously provide the data requested by the state—data that you are required to provide under federal law. To that end, please provide our offices copies of your correspondence with Secretary of State Nelson.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.
As you know, and as Secretary Nelson notes in her letter to you, both federal and Texas law prohibit non-citizens from registering to and casting a vote in the State of Texas. Although the Biden-Harris administration refuses to take any action to protect states against the influx of illegal aliens at our southern border—1,254 miles of which borders Texas—you still retain a constitutional, statutory, and moral imperative to assist the state in doing what is right.
The request submitted by the state to obtain USCIS citizenship data regarding voter registration in Texas is not only legal, but urgent. The election is around the corner, with the deadline for voter registration already passed on October 7th, and the deadline for absentee and mail-in ballots is October 25th.
It is paramount that the state’s county registrars can check and confirm the eligibility of each voter, and your agency is the only entity with the data to help. The deadline provided by the state, October 2nd, left your agency with ample time to provide that information. On the afternoon of October 2nd, Secretary of State Nelson informed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton that, “my office has not received any reply from the federal government.”
This is an unacceptable dereliction of your duty.
Texas’s situation is not an isolated case. The Biden-Harris administration has consistently dismissed the prospect of non-citizens voting, erroneously claiming, “current laws to prevent noncitizen voting are working.” Yet the administration is preventing states from enforcing those laws, as evidenced by the failure to provide Texas with citizenship data, and its recent lawsuit against Alabama’s removal of non-citizens from its voter rolls.
In June 2012, the State of Florida was forced to sue DHS to gain access to the SAVE System to help verify the citizenship status of voters in Florida.
We reiterate our intent that you expeditiously provide the data requested by the state—data that you are required to provide under federal law. To that end, please provide our offices copies of your correspondence with Secretary of State Nelson.
Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.
One Year after October 7th
This week marked one year since the savage and inhumane Hamas terror attack on our greatest ally, Israel. For the past year, Israel has been under constant assault, and now they are locked in a fight for survival against the vile regime of Iran.
October 7th stands as the darkest day for our friends, the Jewish people since the Holocaust. Brenda and I traveled to the Holy Land earlier this year and saw the bloodshed and barbarity firsthand. WE must NEVER allow this to happen again. Let me repeat: NEVER AGAIN!
Understand ”Never Again" isn’t just a slogan – it's a call to action. The terrorists responsible must be hunted down and eradicated from the face of the Earth, no mercy, no hesitation.
Please Join me in praying for Israel. May GOD stand with the apple of His eye, our most steadfast ally, until these enemies are completely wiped off the face of the earth so that they cannot emerge “NEVER AGAIN!”
Congressman Randy Weber represents the 14th District of Texas, which includes Freeport LNG, Golden Pass LNG, and Port Arthur LNG. He serves on the House Energy & Commerce Committee, which has the broadest jurisdiction of any legislative committee in Congress, as well as on the House Science Space & Technology Committee, which has jurisdiction over the Department of Energy's, and the EPA's (Environmental Protection Agency) Energy Research & Development Programs, including all Environmental Standards and Research Programs.
