East Idaho Times

Washington, D.C.—U.S. Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch of Idaho, along with Bill Hagerty of Tennessee, have called for answers from U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland regarding the Department of Justice's (DOJ) actions to prevent non-citizens from registering to vote in American elections.

"As you are likely aware, the United States has experienced a record number of border encounters since President Biden took office—nearly 10 million—many of whom have been released into, or evaded apprehension while entering, the U.S.," the lawmakers wrote. "We’re writing to inquire regarding the efforts undertaken by your Department to enforce the law that prohibits non-citizens from voting in our elections."

State officials across various states including Idaho, South Carolina, Georgia, Ohio, and Tennessee have recently implemented measures to deter and investigate cases of illegal voter registration by non-citizens.

"Plainly, there are opportunities for and instances of non-citizen voter registration, and so the critical question is whether the laws against doing so are being enforced by your Department," the lawmakers continued. "There appear to have been few prosecutions by your Department under these laws, and there is no indication that you have been pursuing cases in places like Georgia and Ohio where aliens have been caught registering or voting."

The letter was co-signed by several other senators including Marsha Blackburn (R-Tennessee), Mike Braun (R-Indiana), Ted Budd (R-North Carolina), Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Josh Hawley (R-Missouri), John Hoeven (R-North Dakota), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Mississippi), Ron Johnson (R-Wisconsin), James Lankford (R-Oklahoma), Mike Lee (R-Utah), Roger Marshall (R-Kansas), Mike Rounds (R-South Dakota), Eric Schmitt (R-Missouri), Rick Scott (R-Florida), Tim Scott (R-South Carolina), John Thune (R-South Dakota), Thom Tillis (R-North Carolina), Tommy Tuberville (R-Alabama) and JD Vance (R-Ohio). Additionally, 42 members of the U.S. House of Representatives signed the letter.

A copy of the letter can be found here.