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In trying to downplay its seriousness and scope, Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and Sen. Raphael Warnock, D-Ga., tacitly acknowledged the existence of a problem they’ve argued is immaterial: that illegal immigrants may be able to unlawfully participate in federal elections.
“The evidence is that almost no illegal aliens vote,” Schumer said in remarks on the Senate floor.
Warnock similarly acknowledged the issue while listing statistics about voting records in his home state.
“8.2 million people are registered to vote in Georgia. The Republican secretary of state found 20 instances of noncitizens who were registered, and only nine had ever attempted to vote,” Warnock said.
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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., turns to an aide during a news conference where he commented on Elon Musk’s criticism of President Donald Trump’s spending and tax bill, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)
Their comments came as the pair of Democrats argued against passage of the SAVE America Act — legislation that would impose citizenship requirements for voter registration.
Democrats have fiercely opposed the Republican-led bill, citing concerns that its voter integrity measures are overly heavy-handed and could inadvertently burden communities that may struggle to provide documented proof of citizenship.
“This is a solution in search of a problem that does not exist,” Warnock said.
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Georgia Sen. Raphael Warnock. (Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Under the bill, voters could use a REAL ID, a birth certificate, or a passport to satisfy the requirements, according to the bill’s text.
Republicans, who argue that lax identity requirements may have already allowed an unknown number of noncitizens onto voter rolls, have launched a marathon standoff over the bill on the Senate floor.
Republicans cannot pass the bill without the 60 votes needed to end debate. They hold 53 seats in the chamber, making passage impossible without support from at least seven Democrats.
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, the sponsor of the SAVE America Act, argued that the scope of the problem remains unknown.
“Democrats argue that federal law prohibits noncitizen voting and insist that it is not just rare but exceedingly rare — so rare that we shouldn’t even consider it cognizable in this chamber,” Lee said Tuesday.
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Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, is leading the push in the Senate to pass voter ID legislation, and pitching multiple paths that Republicans could take to do it. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Lee said the lack of documented cases does not rule out future risk.
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“It remains unknown — and in many instances, unknowable. How many illegal votes are being counted in federal elections? How many illegal votes cast by noncitizens might be cast in any future federal election?” Lee said.
The standoff, which began Tuesday, appears unlikely to advance the bill.
Fox News Digital reached out to the offices of Schumer and Warnock.
