Just weeks before the midterm elections, flyers that appear to target immigrants are raising concerns about possible voter intimidation in Alexandria, Virginia.
The flyers discovered on dozens of car windshields Monday cite laws prohibiting non-citizens from voting in federal elections and included a hotline to report alleged immigration and voting violations. They also featured the Department of Homeland Security’s logo.
DHS, however, said it was not involved in distributing the flyers.
Surveillance video from a resident who spoke with News4’s news partner Telemundo 44 appears to show a man in a hoodie placing them on vehicles about 4 a.m. Monday.
“People are upset. Obviously, I’ve talked to a lot of my neighbors. There’s a lot of anger about this. It’s also, it feels sort of violating,” resident Olivia Troye said. “We have no idea who the identity is of this individual, but we do know that this community is not OK with it, and I worry about this happening, especially so close to elections. I think we need to be paying attention to that and not allowing it to take place.”
“Voter intimidation is unacceptable and has no place in our democracy. Every eligible voter deserves to exercise their right to vote freely, safely, and without fear. The appropriate agencies, including APD and our federal delegation, have been notified,” Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins said in a statement in part.
Police are asking anyone with information about the person responsible to contact them.
