This week, the New York Supreme Court will hear arguments on a city statute that allows noncitizens to register to vote in New York City elections.
The court will hear arguments in the issue on Tuesday, with Democratic lawyers arguing in favor of laws passed by the city to enable noncitizen voters. If successful, the roughly 800,000 noncitizens living in the Big Apple would be entitled to vote in city-level elections such as mayoral races. Proponents of the law argue that noncitizens are unfairly taxed.
“In five City Council districts, non-U.S. citizens make up about a third of the adult population,” municipal attorneys stated in a filing. “These New Yorkers pay billions in taxes and yet have no say in local policies on public safety, garbage collection, or housing — all matters that affect their day-to-day lives.”
Meanwhile, Republicans in the city are shocked by the move, citing language in the state constitution that grants voting rights to “every citizen.”
“It’s hard to discuss because it’s crazy that it’s even an issue,” state Sen. Andrew Lanza, a Republican from Staten Island, told Politico. “Citizens ought to vote; if you’re not a citizen of a country, you should not have a say.”
According to New York’s state constitution, “Every citizen shall be entitled to vote at every election for all officers elected by the people and upon all questions submitted to the vote of the people.”
TRUMP BORDER CZAR MEETS WITH NYC MAYOR ADAMS DESPITE SANCTUARY CITY STATUS.
Last year, an appeal court ruled 3-1 in favor of Republicans on the matter. According to Politico, the panel of judges concluded that there is a “irrefutable inference” that noncitizens were intended to be deprived from voting rights.
The case comes amid a budding Democratic battle to succeed New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who is still in legal problems.
Adams’ administration has struggled to deal with a large surge of illegal immigrants in recent years. City inhabitants have also protested about migrants’ accommodation techniques.
Residents were furious Monday after realizing they couldn’t stop a vast 2,200 male-only migrant shelter from opening in their area, citing concerns that the new facility will make their town less safe, particularly for women.
The mayor’s administration informed Fox News Digital last month that, despite the new shelter’s opening, they want to eliminate 46 migrant shelters throughout the city and lower the total number of shelter beds by 10,000 by June. The city stated that the Hall Street shelter in Brooklyn, one of the largest shelters to close, hosted 3,500 migrants.
