By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
Sunday, November 6, 2016, US Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Alabama) said that he was shocked by comments by President Barack H. Obama (D) which he alleges encouraged illegal aliens to vote.
Sen. Sessions said, “I am shocked that the President of the United States—who is the chief law enforcement officer for the nation and to whom all federal law enforcement officers report—failed to strongly and immediately object to a statement by an interviewer that unlawful immigrants can and should vote in US elections. The interviewer proposed a radical and illegal action, which the President had a duty to condemn.”
Sen. Sessions continued, “The President must immediately issue a statement to make crystal clear that only citizens of the United States have the right to vote, and that any noncitizen who votes, and anyone who assists noncitizens to vote, does so illegally and is subject to prosecution. The failure to clarify this statement will only add further credibility to the public’s concerns about the integrity of this election.”
The President’s supporters say that Fox News selectively edited the comments to make President Obama’s comments appear worse than they were. The full exchange is below.
In the full exchange, actress Gina Rodriguez asked, “Many of the millennials, Dreamers, undocumented citizens — and I call them citizens because they contribute to this country — are fearful of voting. So if I vote, will immigration know where I live? Will they come for my family and deport us?”
President Obama answered, “Not true. And the reason is, first of all, when you vote, you are a citizen yourself. And there is not a situation where the voting rolls somehow are transferred over and people start investigating, et cetera. The sanctity of the vote is strictly confidential in terms of who you voted for. If you have a family member who maybe is undocumented, then you have an even greater reason to vote.”
Ms. Rodriguez said, “This has been a huge fear presented especially during this election.”
Pres. Obama replied, “And the reason that fear is promoted is because they don’t want people voting. People are discouraged from voting and part of what is important for Latino citizens is to make your voice heard, because you’re not just speaking for yourself. You’re speaking for family members, friends, classmates of yours in school.”
Rodriguez: “Your entire community.”
Pres. Obama responded: “Who may not have a voice. Who can’t legally vote. But they’re counting on you to make sure that you have the courage to make your voice heard.”
Democrats are hoping that a high Latino turnout will turn states like: New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, and Florida toward Hillary Clinton in today’s election. Some political commentators have suggested that demographic changes brought about by mass immigration since the 1970s have created a situation where Democratic Party candidates should dominate elections for the next forty years.
Senator Jeff Sessions has been staunchly critical of President Obama’s immigration policies. Sessions was the first member of the Senate to endorse Donald Trump for President.
