A Republican state lawmaker from North Carolina is calling for the resignation of the state’s Democratic Secretary of State for issuing notary licenses to illegal immigrants.
Republican State Rep. Chris Millis is accusing Democratic Secretary of State Elaine Marshall of issuing licenses to illegal immigrants enrolled in the federal Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA, program.
“We found over 320 nonpermanent residents that her office commissioned as notaries. Including one that was slated for final deportation,” Millis said, according to Fox News. “It’s very concerning not just the fact that these individuals will have the ability to affirm items like oath, but also the ability in our state for them to certify absentee ballots.”
Under federal law, DACA recipients are technically not legal residents in the United States. A program created by the Obama administration, DACA gives immigrants brought to the country illegally as children a chance to legally work and pay taxes. They are also supposed to technically be a low priority for deportation. However, the program does not grant any form of legal status in the country, including permanent resident or green card status, and they could be subject to deportation at any time, as reported by NBC News.
Millis said he “came across an article that reported that the North Carolina secretary of state may have commissioned illegal immigrants as notaries public – a direct conflict with state and federal law,” which spurred his investigation into the mater, reported WRAL.
“If the secretary chooses not to resign, I will proceed with all legislative actions, including a resolution for impeachment,” Millis said.
According to Fox News, Millis said:
“I make all of these implications very seriously and I’m not making any of this lightly. Whenever I ask the Secretary to resign immediately or I made it clear to her that I will move through with a resolution for impeachment if she so chooses not to resign.”
But Marshall has denied any wrongdoing and said Millis is simply trying to score political points by accusing her of violating federal law.
In a statement to WRAL, Marshall said:
“This is simply a rehashing of the political attack used by my opponent [Republican Michael LaPaglia] in the recent election. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has authorized the specifically mentioned notaries to work here lawfully. That federally authorized status continues to be unchanged by the new presidential administration.”
Leave a Comment