STATEN ISLAND, NY –
Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11) on Dec.3 joined local elected officials in sounding the alarm on New York City potentially registering tens of thousands of noncitizens at New York City migrant shelters to vote.
Malliotakis filed a Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) request to receive the contract between New York City and Homes for the Homeless, which operates the migrant shelter at 1111 Father Capodanno Boulevard on Staten Island. Upon receiving the contract, she discovered 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 had previously expressed concerns that migrants would be eligible to vote under Local Law 11 passed by the City Council under Mayor Bill de Blasio. In January 2022, Malliotakis and other Staten Island Republican elected officials sued to stop the law from taking effect. In June, a Staten Island judge ruled in their favor, however, Mayor Adams appealed the decision and a final determination has not been made by the Appellate Court.
“There is nothing more important than preserving the integrity of our election system,” said Congresswoman Malliotakis. “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 City better not be acting in violation of the judge’s ruling that struck down the noncitizen voting law that would have allowed 800,000 noncitizens with a Green Card or Work Authorization and who have resided in New York City for 30 days, to vote. The only thing that may be stopping the registration of these noncitizens is our lawsuit that halted the law from taking effect, but it’s very disturbing that in their own contracts, the City is requiring contractors to distribute registration forms while prohibiting them from asking citizenship status”.
In September, Malliotakis joined a bipartisan group of local elected officials and former Island Shores resident Frank Tammaro in voicing outrage following New York City’s shady deal with Homes for the Homeless to turn Island Shores Senior Residences into a migrant shelter, forcing seniors, including at least eight veterans to leave their homes to house up to 300 migrants residing in the United States illegally.
“Noncitizen voting is not the law of the City of New York, and no one should be trying to register noncitizens to vote,” said Councilman David Carr. “Certainly no one should be giving a contract to a not-for-profit, whether it’s a homeless or migrant shelter provider or anyone else, to try and register noncitizens. It’s absolutely illegal at this stage of the game and it shouldn’t be in the contract.”
“There’s a requirement in this contract that the contractor, Homes for the Homeless, is required to give voter registration forms to the public – anyone they come into contact with – while at the same time prohibiting them from asking immigration status,” Assemblyman Michael Tannousis said. “What is happening here? Look at all the benefits in the contract that migrants are to be getting. Do the taxpayers of this city get the same benefits? Absolutely not. We need New Yorkers to wake up and see what is happening.”
“When we stood out here a few months ago, I raised the issue that here, they kicked out our seniors. It wasn’t too long ago, a few years ago, they did the same exact thing in Manhattan,” Assemblyman Michael Reilly said. “The bottom line is Homes for the Homeless is in it for the money. If you care about your community, if you care about making sure it remains the way it’s supposed to be and serve the people who actually live there legally, then take that money away from them…There’s one thing about lending a helping hand, there’s another thing when you give a handout.”
“Is it any wonder Staten Island wants to secede from the City of New York?” Assemblyman Sam Pirozzolo said. “When you talk about the voter registration, we just had an unprecedented election year in the City Council where the Socialists and the Democrats won overwhelmingly, and these are the types of things they are bringing to you. They are bringing to you voter registration of people who are here illegally and as soon as they are here for 30 days, how is it they’re entitled to vote? How do they even understand the American system of government? You can say we’re alarmists, but when you read that contract and what it says, that the City is obligating providers to register illegals to vote, you have to think about that.”
