A resurfaced video of Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.) has sparked outrage among conservatives after she appeared to say she wanted more immigrants in her district “just for redistricting purposes.”
The clip, recorded during a 2021 House Foreign Affairs Committee briefing, shows Clarke, who represents parts of Brooklyn, suggesting that the local Haitian community could “absorb a significant number of these migrants.”
She added: “When I hear my colleagues talk about, you know, the doors of the inn being closed, no room in the inn, I’m saying, you know, I need more people in my district, just for redistricting purposes and those members could clearly fit here.”
The remarks, which have been circulating on social media in recent days, drew sharp criticism from conservative commentators. Kyle Becker, a political analyst, posted on X: “House Rep. Yvette Clarke just said the quiet part out loud. Democrats are as anti-American as it gets. … All because the anti-American Democratic Party wants a few extra seats in Congress. Enough!”
Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY): “I need more migrants in my district, for redistricting purposes”
This is how you hijack democracy pic.twitter.com/hhQNioQoTO
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) July 22, 2025
The popular conservative account “End Wokeness” called the comments evidence of election manipulation: “This is how you hijack democracy.” Commentator David Freeman added: “This is why they imported MILLIONS. They want to have a one-party country.”
The backlash comes as New York City has already faced criticism for efforts to expand voting rights to noncitizens. In 2021, the city council passed a law allowing nearly one million noncitizens to vote in local elections, including for mayor and city council. The law was struck down earlier this year by the New York Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court.
In response to the resurfaced clip, some lawmakers renewed calls for the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, introduced by Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas). The bill would require individuals to provide documentary proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections and mandate states to remove noncitizens from voter rolls. It also includes criminal penalties for knowingly registering ineligible applicants.
The SAVE Act has passed the House but has yet to be considered in the Senate, where it faces steep opposition from Democrats.
