White House Press Sec. Karine Jean-Pierre reassured reporters Tuesday that “it is already illegal for non-citizens to vote in federal elections.” Cue the nationwide sigh of relief: At last, we can sleep easy knowing noncitizens won’t vote, because — surprise! — it’s against the law.
But do you know what else is also “already illegal?”
Drunk driving. Yet roughly one million people are arrested each year in the United States for drunk driving, according to Better Life Recovery & Wellness, and “results from surveys show that this number represents only a small portion of the actual number of alcohol-impaired drivers behind the wheel each year.”
It’s also “already illegal” for someone under the age of 21 to buy or drink alcohol, yet 12.6 million people between the ages of 12 and 20 have reported having at least one alcoholic drink in their life, according to the 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.
It’s “already illegal” to steal a motor vehicle, yet 83,220 people were arrested in 2020 for allegedly doing just that, according to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Similarly, 67,900 people were also arrested in 2020 for alleged, “already illegal” robbery.
Jean-Pierre — who works for the administration that has seen millions of people illegally enter the United States — should know better than anyone that just because something is “illegal” doesn’t mean it’s not happening.
How else did 41 noncitizens cast a ballot in North Carolina in 2016? Or how did 11,198 noncitizens
