Sponsor
Dale Strong
Representative · R-AL
Representative · R-AL
Treats unlawful voting by an alien as an aggravated felony, creates inadmissibility for unlawful voting, and removes the corresponding deportability paragraph.
The bill strengthens enforcement by making unlawful noncitizen voting an inadmissibility and aggravated-felony ground—deterring illegal voting and clarifying grounds—but risks imposing harsh, potentially disproportionate immigration penalties for inadvertent voters and creating legal uncertainty and uneven enforcement that could reduce due process for noncitizens.
State and local governments and immigration authorities get clearer, consolidated grounds: unlawful voting is specified as an inadmissibility ground and as an aggravated-felony category, which can simplify enforcement determinations.
Taxpayers: Noncitizens who vote unlawfully will be barred from future admission, creating a stronger deterrent against illegal voting.
Noncitizen residents (including those who unknowingly or mistakenly vote) risk permanent inadmissibility, classification as an aggravated felony, loss of eligibility for relief, and deportation—exposing immigrants to severe, long-lasting immigration penalties and criminal stigma.
Noncitizens who commit minor or technical voting errors could be criminalized under broadly worded provisions, producing uneven enforcement across jurisdictions and penalizing immigrants for trivial mistakes.
Noncitizens already in the U.S. and immigration courts may face legal confusion and reduced due-process clarity because removing a deportability paragraph while adding inadmissibility and aggravated-felony language could shift more cases toward denial-of-entry handling rather than deportation proceedings.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Official title: To amend the Immigration and Nationality Act to make unlawful voting an aggravated felony.
Introduced January 23, 2025 by Dale Strong · Last progress January 23, 2025
Adds unlawful voting (voting in violation of any federal, state, or local constitutional provision, statute, ordinance, or regulation) to the Immigration and Nationality Act's definition of an "aggravated felony," makes voting unlawfully a ground of inadmissibility, and removes the corresponding deportability paragraph from the INA. The change converts certain voting actions by noncitizens (as defined by the statute) into a permanent aggravated-felony label that carries severe immigration consequences. The bill does not create new funding, agencies, or implementation timelines; it amends existing immigration grounds and definitions to expand grounds for inadmissibility and to alter deportability provisions.