Posted on 06/11/2007 2:25:19 PM PDT by AuntB
A Bexar County review that apparently found illegal voting by undocumented immigrants has triggered a county investigation of voter fraud and a federal probe of false citizenship claims.
County and federal officials acknowledged this week that they are looking into whether up to 41 non-citizens voted illegally in San Antonio, some repeatedly, in more than a dozen local, state and federal elections between 2001 and this year.
Bexar County District Attorney Susan Reed's office has joined the investigation, which began in late May when the Homeland Security Department's Immigration and Customs Enforcement requested a report prepared by Bexar County Elections Administrator Jacque Callanen.
Reed said her office joined the investigation, noting, "You bet your bottom dollar we'll prosecute, regardless of what the feds decide they will do, if we find people voted illegally in violation of the state election code."
The federal request for Callanen's data took the form of an administrative subpoena and includes the names of 330 people she determined should not have been on the local voter rolls because they weren't citizens. County officials declined to release Callanen's report, citing the ongoing investigation.
Callanen said it was not readily apparent that the illegal voting influenced an election's outcome. The names have been purged from voting rolls.
She compiled the list when it was determined the 330 people received summonses for jury duty, and they notified the county they weren't eligible to serve because they were not U.S. citizens.
The jury duty list is drawn from driver's licenses and from names appearing on the county's voter registration rolls.
ICE spokeswoman Nina Pruneda declined to directly respond when asked about the scope of the ongoing probe or whether it extends beyond Bexar County.
"ICE works with law enforcement partners across the country to enforce more than 400 Customs and immigration statutes," she said.
However, Callanen said the type of information federal authorities are using in the San Antonio investigation — names purged from voter rolls — also was sought from elections officials in Harris, Tarrant and El Paso counties.
Pruneda said the probe is in the beginning stage and that no arrests had been made.
Despite admitting to Callanen that they voted, the investigation's targets may not face federal criminal charges, but they could be subject to deportation if ICE determines they entered the country illegally.
Reed said her office's white-collar crime unit was working with ICE on a parallel probe.
"There is a list of names on the report that are noncitizens who voted," said Adrianna Biggs, who heads the unit. "We are trying to determine dates of birth" and other identifying information, she said.
Part of the probe's focus is to determine if federal or state election laws were violated.
It's a state felony to illegally vote and a misdemeanor to make a false statement on a voter registration application, Biggs said.
The probe also will attempt to determine how people apparently in the country illegally registered to vote.
Pruneda acknowledged her agency has received at least some of the data Callanen compiled, and that her agency is attempting to locate and interview the people named in the report.
"ICE does not investigate voter fraud. That's not the purpose here," Pruneda said. "We are investigating fraudulent claims of U.S. citizenship."
In March, Callanen said she was contacted by a Texas legislator and asked to provide a list of names purged from the county's voter rolls.
Voter rolls are routinely purged as people die, move out of the county or otherwise become ineligible to vote.
Callanen's review came as the Texas Legislature debated a bill that would have required prospective voters to present two forms of photo identification. Current state law requires only a voter registration certificate, which does not carry a photo ID.
The voter ID bill died because of partisan bickering, said its author, Rep. Debbie Riddle, R-Tomball.
Republican backers of the measure said that safeguards are needed to protect the electoral system's integrity. Democrats say the effort is an attempt to discourage the elderly and minorities, who tend to vote Democratic, from casting ballots.
San Antonio-based U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton, whose office prosecutes federal law violations, said there hasn't been a voter fraud case in the area since he took office in 2001.
Representing probably 10,000 - 25,000 illegal voters in TX.
Let me take a wild guess as to which party all of them voted for...
Nah, too easy.
It’s happening everywhere across the country. Illegal dem voting, by illegals as well as other fraudulent methods.
Absolutely. They found this 330 because they’d been called to jury duty and admitted they weren’t citizens. How many served on juries that did not admit it?
Can you imagine what goes on in LA? Mercy!
Pissant, it’s bad enough when uninformed Americans are voting. We can’t have this.
Motor voter most likely.......
LA? You don’t have to look any farther than Detroit and Milwaukee. Both those cities are all that’s keeping their states in the blue column.
Right, to use a cliche, just the tip of the Mexican iceberg.
Most of them can’t even read and write Spanish, but all they need to know in this country is the difference between a “D” and a “R”.
Just doing the voting that Americans won’t do.
So they catch them and perhaps punish this small percentage?
What happens to their illegal votes, most likely Democrat and influencing elections that were supposed to be only voted on by legal citizens?
Nothing. Their votes stand. The Democrat vision for our countries future.
Actually, you’ll find uninformed Americans and illegal aliens vote about the same...for democrats. LOL
Beat me to it.
Just say NO to Amnesty!! Keep calling!! It’s NOT OVER!!
U.S. Senate switchboard: (202) 224-3121
U.S. House switchboard: (202) 225-3121
White House comments: (202) 456-1111
Find your House Rep.: http://www.house.gov/writerep
Find your US Senators: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
I know! :<( And I’m counting on you to fix it. :<)
One word: ACORN
BTTT
Laughing too much to read this right now...
ROFLMBO
I’m sure they pulled straight R.
Since El Jefe is their advocate.
bump
According the fired federal attorney in Washington State, it’s not voter fraud unless you can prove a conspiracy. He claims that as long as it is just individuals action on their own, it’s not fraud. That’s why he got fired.
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