NYC Council Seeks Appeal to Allow Migrant Voting

The New York City Council filed an appeal in the state's highest court on Monday which seeks to grant voting status to some 800,000 illegal migrants or noncitizens.

Council spokesman Rendy Desamours stated, according to Politico, "Empowering New Yorkers to participate in our local democratic process can only strengthen New York City by increasing civic engagement." Desamours went on to add that the legislative body found the law to be consistent with the state constitution.

While some city council members may have found the law constitutional, last month, the Appellate Division for the Second Judicial Department in New York did not, and ruled the legislation unconstitutional.

The contentious Local Law 11 of 2022 aimed to extend voting rights in municipal elections, including those for mayor and city council, to noncitizens who possess green cards or work authorizations.

Among critics of the law were Staten Island Republicans Vito Fossella, Joe Borelli, and Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, who argued that voting is a privilege reserved for U.S. citizens. They contended that extending this right to noncitizens undermines the sanctity of the electoral process and diminishes the voices of American citizens.

Meanwhile, as Monday's deadline to appeal approached, migrant activists, flying under the banner of the New York Immigration Coalition, chanted outside City Hall, "Our city, our vote."

Brooklyn Democrat Alexa Avilés, the council's immigration committee chair, said: "So many of our residents have been paying taxes, have been contributing to this community and yet they have no say. That ain't right. Granting voting rights to someone does not take someone else's voting rights away. We are making the pie larger."

It's worth noting that New York City is currently facing a migrant crisis that is currently putting the city behind budget. While the category of noncitizens is ambiguous, referring to an illegal migrant or a green card holder, on Monday, The New York Times reported that illegal migrants would begin receiving debit cards in New York City to pay for food and baby supplies.

Mayor Eric Adams, who has been a proponent of the bill, has so far not commented on his position on the legal challenge.

A timeline for the appeal is not clear.

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