Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) joined local officials to sound the alarm on a New York City contract stipulation she said could lead to the voter registration of thousands of non-citizens.
The contract in question is between New York City and Homes for the Homeless, which described itself as a shelter providing services to families in NYC. Malliotakis said Homes for the Homeless also operates a migrant shelter on Father Capodanno Boulevard on Staten Island where a retirement home used to operate.
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The congresswoman said a page in the contract required the group to distribute voter registration information to people it was in regular contact with, and she said those people included illegal immigrants.
“The City is requiring migrant shelter contractors to distribute voter registration cards, assist migrants in registering to vote, and promote campaign material within the shelters themselves,” Malliotakis said in a press release.
“There is nothing more important than preserving the integrity of our election system,” she said. “The right to vote is a sacred right given only to United States citizens, and certainly not one provided to those who crossed over our border illegally and made their way to New York City last month.”
The legal standing of Malliotakis’s complaint was dependent upon a local law in legal limbo.
In June of 2022, a New York state judge struck down a law that allowed hundreds of thousands of non-citizen residents in the city to vote in local elections, according to Reuters. However, the city appealed the ruling.
“The City believes that the judge erred in finding that the law was inconsistent with the State Constitution, Election Law, and the Municipal Home Rule Law, and is hopeful that the appellate court will reverse this erroneous ruling,” a release from the city read.
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Homes for the Homeless said it “provides NYC families experiencing homelessness with more than just a place to sleep. On any given day nearly 610 families with 750 children ages 0 to 18 reside in safe, clean, shelters – our family residences. These family residences provide a host of services focused on HFH’s three pillars: education, employment, and social services designed to meet the immediate and ongoing needs of both parents and children.”
The Washington Examiner reached out to Homes for the Homeless for comment.
