Are Illegal Immigrants Allowed To Vote In New York?

New York State has been hit with an influx of immigrants shipped from southern border states. With such high numbers of people being assisted by Democrats, it would be beneficial to the party if those people could vote, right? In a recent video Republican politicians claim that New York passed a law allowing illegal immigrants to vote.

According to USA Today the clip was from a December 5, 2023, Homeland Security Committee hearing. Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman misspoke about a law that was passed in New York in 2021.

There was a law that passed in New York City (not New York State) that would allow immigrants to vote. It was supposed to go into effect on January 9, 2023. The law would have given over 800,000 legal noncitizen immigrants the right to vote in municipal elections, not state elections. The law would have permitted legal residents to vote.

However, the law was challenged by Republicans, who have used tactics to try to limit citizens from voting. A judge agreed and struck down the law, according to PBS.

So, illegal immigrants cannot vote in New York. The law that passed would not have allowed them to vote, even if it wasn't struck down.

Governor Hochul Plans To Spend $2.4 Billion On Migrants In New York

Governor Kathy Hochul has released highlights of her proposed Executive Budget for fiscal year 2025. The budget includes a significant amount of money designated to provide services for migrants in New York State.

There has been an influx of immigrants being shipped to New York by the governors of states like Texas and Florida. According to Vox,

Greg Abbott has sent more than 13,300 migrants to New York City since the spring of 2022.

The New York Times says that more than 150,000 migrants have arrived in New York City since early 2022. Governor Hochul hopes to address the needs of immigrants who come to New York State with $2.4 billion.

The budget approved last year for the fiscal year 2024 already dedicated $1.9 billion to assist migrants with social services, shelter, and resettlement.

The FY 2025 Executive Budget provides an additional $2.4 billion to provide shelter and basic services to migrants and asylum seekers and assist with resettlement.

This money will cover a plethora of services for migrants in New York, including providing aid to New York City for shelter services, operating humanitarian emergency response and relief centers, health services, legal assistance, and more.

For comparison purposes, the FY 2024 Executive Budget dedicates only $50 million of federal monies to helping children living in poverty in New York State.

To support efforts to address the immediate needs of these children and families, the Executive Budget invests a total of $50 million in one-time Federal TANF resources in locally driven anti-poverty initiatives in Rochester, Syracuse, and Buffalo, where this poverty is most concentrated.

 

See more highlights from the 2024 Executive Budget

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