The flow of illegal immigrants from Mexico to The Lone Star State makes it inevitable Texas will cast its 40 electoral votes for Democrats one day, says Don Huffines, a former state senator and recent gubernatorial candidate who is president of the Huffines Liberty Foundation.
Even critics of illegal immigration might disagree with that prediction, since illegal aliens can't legally vote, but local, state, and federal laws are not so clear.
The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 makes it mostly unlawful for noncitizens to vote in federal elections. But there are exceptions. Some are black and white, such as if the election is held partly for some other purpose and the immigrant qualifies for that election, or if the immigrant permanently resided in the United States prior to reaching the age of 16.
Other exceptions leave room for interpretation by election officials, such as if the immigrant reasonably believed at the time of voting that he or she was a legal citizen.
Federal laws have no say in whether illegals vote in state elections, and that’s an idea that’s growing in popularity.
Voter qualifications can even differ within states as some allow their cities to determine their own voting laws.
'Democrats are very patient'
With just the cities of Houston, San Antonio and Dallas, Texas has three of the top 10 population centers in the U.S. That population allows conservative Texans to wield their 40 electoral votes and outpace liberal New York (28 votes) and Illinois (19), and purplish Ohio (17) for impact in choosing America’s CEO.
Because of increased population, Texas’ 40 electoral votes also represent two more than it had in the last presidential election. That’s good news for Republicans in a state that last voted Democrat when Jimmy Carter defeated Gerald Ford in 1976.
But that growing population concerns Huffines, who predicts illegal immigrants will eventually be granted voting rights. He calls that a "premeditated attack" on Texas by the Biden administration, which is welcoming illegal aliens from around the world, then allowing them to remain here, while telling Congress the U.S.-Mexico border is under control.
Meanwhile, fiscal year 2022 ended with the highest number of migrant encounters ever recorded according to Fox News, and there have been GOP calls for impeaching Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
After some rough days at the beginning, illegal border crossings decreased after the Biden administration lifted the Title 42 COVID-19 ban in the spring. That drop was partly due in part to immigrants scheduling their appointments to walk across and apply for asylum thanks to technology: the Customs and Border Patrol One App.
If it's true Democrats are purposely flooding the United States with millions of illegal aliens, then planning to grant them the right to vote, that means Democrats are not stupid or blind about immigration - they are smart but playing dumb.
"This is the leftist strategy to take over the United States of America," Huffines, in a Wednesday interview, warned the American Family Radio audience at one point.
Even though the U.S. Border Patrol says it has apprehended illegal aliens from 150 countries, Huffines says most of them are coming from Central America and South America. It is no accident Democrats are welcoming them, he says, because those future U.S. citizens were born under socialist governments.
“(Democrats) are very patient. Texas will go blue," Huffines told AFR host Jenna Ellis.
Texas will remain in Republican control during the 2024 election, he predicted, but there's "no way" the state can withstand the influx of illegals and remain that way.
"These folks will get amnesty," he said. "They will be able to vote, and we're just flooded with millions right now."
Texas has legal right to 'defend' its border
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican, was the first state governor to start busing immigrants to New York Cities and other self-proclaimed "sanctuary cities," but Abbott has faced criticism from some --- including Huffines --- who say he’s not done enough at the border.
Huffines challenged Abbott in the 2022 GOP primary in which the former state senator finished third.
More recently, Abbott has authorized the use of a floating border barrier in the Rio Grande River between Texas and Mexico, a move promoted a lawsuit from Biden Administration.
The court filing said that Texas officials were required to obtain permission from the federal government, an interpretation many believe contradicts the Constitution’s Article 1, Section 10 which allows states to defend themselves from invasion.
“It’s fundamental to the Constitution," Huffines argues. "And if the federal government's causing an invasion, or not coming to the states’ aid, the states have the authority to engage a military, charge a tariff, negotiate a treaty --- do all kinds of things to defend themselves."
As the state governor, Huffines adds, Gov. Abbott is the Texas commander in chief who doesn't just have the authority to protect the Texas border, he also has the legal obligation to do so.
