In a New York Times Op-Ed published on Wednesday, journalist Atossa Araxia Abrahamian makes the argument that in order to save American democracy then non-citizens must have the right to vote as well.
Titled, "There Is No Good Reason You Should Have to Be a Citizen to Vote," Abrahamian writes the 15 million people living legally in the United States, such as green cardholders, contribute to the betterment of the country but can not vote, but she does not stop at just green cardholders:
Considering the Supreme Court’s recent decision undermining voting rights, and Republicans’ efforts to suppress, redistrict and manipulate their way to electoral security, it’s time for Democrats to radically expand the electorate. Proposing federal legislation to give millions of young people and essential workers a clear road to citizenship is a good start. But there’s another measure that lawmakers both in Washington and state capitals should put in place: lifting voting restrictions on legal residents who aren’t citizens — people with green cards, people here on work visas, and those who arrived in the country as children and are still waiting for permanent papers.
"Expanding the franchise in this way would give American democracy new life, restore immigrants’ trust in government and send a powerful message of inclusion to the rest of the world," she adds, noting that "The strongest case for noncitizen voting today is representation: The more voters show up to the polls, the more accurately elections reflect peoples’ desires. The United States already has plenty of institutions that account for noncitizens: The census aims to reach all residents because it believes everyone, even aliens, matters."
Abrahamian's line of thinking is why some conservatives are concerned about the ongoing crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border. With thousands of people coming into the country illegally and many times released with little to no accountability, they are skipping the legal way to become U.S. citizens.
Abrahamian even acknowledges "Democrats are likely to be the biggest beneficiaries of this change — at least at first." Following Abrahamian's logic, why wouldn't the change be extended to people who have been living in the U.S. illegally for years?
It does beg the question if this could be a reason why the Biden administration has ignored the crisis at the border? Their approach is not more compassionate than the Trump administration's, considering they wanted to discourage people from putting themselves in danger by traveling in perilous environments and paying criminal organizations that are known to abuse and kill migrants if they pay the price of admission.
Now, the Biden administration has incentivized illegal immigration by stating they won't apply Title 42 to unaccompanied minors and have been known to not apply it to family units with very young children.