Voter ID laws are under fire nationwide while illegals live their lives under whatever false identities are for sale. Democrats are irate over the thought of asking voters to confirm who they are, although it seems unlikely that there are legions of eligible voters without identification who would otherwise show up at the polls to reelect Obama. Being allowed to vote without the minimal identification voter ID laws require and making the effort to vote are two different things.
Why do Democrats deny voter fraud by illegals?
We are missing the boat on the issue of whether or not illegals vote. We know that they do, despite fervent denials about voter fraud from Democrats. The chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus recently criticized “government officials who abuse their positions”¹ and insisted there is no voter fraud by non-citizens:
In spite of this record, every new claim – whether in South Carolina or Florida (using the same discredited practice as Colorado) or Texas – receives unwarranted media attention despite the fact that you’re more likely to be struck by lightning than to find the fraud that voter ID laws and similar measures are supposed to stop. They can’t find this fraud because it doesn’t exist.²
ICE would dispute that claim and sheds a little light on the quality of the illegal immigrant voter in a recent case from the election that put Barack Obama in the White House:
As part of his guilty plea, Lopez admitted he was convicted of two drug trafficking offenses involving heroin in 1986. In 1987, an immigration judge ordered Lopez deported as an aggravated felon. Lopez admitted he subsequently assumed the identity of a U.S. citizen, which he used to illegally reenter the United States, obtain a Social Security card and a U.S. passport, and to vote.³
The Justice Department would also disagree, having prosecuted another case of vote fraud by a non-citizen in the 2008 presidential election:
In early 2008, Sever registered to vote in Broward County, again stating that he was a U.S. citizen. Then, he actually voted in the November 4, 2008 presidential election.4
The department has pursued voting offenses by non-citizens in states including Florida, Colorado, and North Carolina,5 all swing states in the 2012 election, making its stance against voter ID laws especially perplexing.
Identity fraud renders voter ID laws meaningless.
We would be foolish to assume that identity fraud by illegals is not on the rise. ICE press releases continue to prove that identity mills are in full production and a report released last week admitted that we have no idea how many phony driver’s licenses are being used by illegals.6 When Government Accountability Office investigators hit the road and tried to obtain fraudulent drivers’ licenses in three states,
In each state, investigative staff obtained genuine licenses under fictitious identities—combinations of name, date of birth, and SSN that do not correspond to any real individuals. In two states, a staff member obtained two licenses under two different identities.7
Recent prosecutions back up the GAO’s findings:
Charges against 22 individuals were unsealed today and arrests were made in six states in connection with an alleged scheme to fraudulently obtain driver’s licenses for illegal aliens and other ineligible individuals, New Jersey U.S. Attorney Paul J. Fishman and FBI Special Agent in Charge Michael B. Ward announced.8
Despite the use of fake driver’s licenses on 9/11 and the popularity of identity fraud with illegals who want to circumvent our path to citizenship, when the GAO recommended that Homeland Security take steps to improve the department’s identity fraud detection systems,
DHS did not concur with these recommendations, saying its ongoing efforts are sufficient. GAO has demonstrated that vulnerabilities remain as long as national systems are not yet fully operational.9
Is denying voter fraud by illegals about fraud, or fairness?
The question we should be asking is not how many illegals commit voter fraud. We will never know the answer and voter ID laws will not stop illegals with fraudulent identities from voting. The issue is whether members of Congress who back illegals recognize any difference between American citizens and non-citizens who they believe have been treated unfairly under federal and state laws. When Arizona Governor Jan Brewer decided not to hand taxpayer-paid benefits and driver’s licenses to illegal DREAMers, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus responded that:
To deny state resources is a harsh slap in the face of the immigrant community, a reminder of how pervasive extremism is, and major step back for the Arizona economy.10
It is inconceivable that Democratic politicians not only disavow the need for voter ID laws, but refuse to address the extent of identity fraud by illegals despite constant revelations from federal agencies of criminal activity.
We hear demands from pressure groups and their politicians to respect the rights illegals believe they are entitled to as soon as they set foot on U.S. soil. We also hear demands for Americans to set aside the obligations of citizenship for the sake of political opportunism. One of those obligations is to ensure the sanctity of the vote, something Democrats seem less interested in than protecting those who would abuse one of our most fundamental rights.
It has been proven that there is voter fraud going on. Illegals are voting, even dead people are voting. The Democrats are up in arms when it is proposed that everyone have an ID to vote or that voter rolls be brought up to date. Voter fraud can change the result of a close election and the Democrats want every advantage they can muster and any way possible to secure votes and be re-elected.