Less than a month before Election Day, residents in Alexandria neighborhoods found flyers, which cited federal laws barring immigrants in the country illegally from voting, stuck to their cars.
The flyers, which residents reported early this week, read “sanctuary city information notice” along the top and listed statutes that restrict voting and residential rights in the United States. The flyers also included a law prohibiting people from helping people enter the country illegally.
The phrase “saving democracy together so no one is above the law” appeared at the bottom, near the U.S. Department of Homeland Security seal and a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement phone number to report violations of voting laws.
A DHS spokesperson told The Washington Sun it was “not involved in the distribution of these flyers.”
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Alexandria Mayor Alyia Gaskins said in a statement to The Sun that she notified the Alexandria Police Department and the city’s federal delegation of the situation.
“I am deeply concerned by a flyer placed on residents’ vehicles in our community in an apparent attempt to intimidate voters,” Gaskins said in the statement. “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 Alexandria Police Department said in a statement to The Sun that it is aware of the flyers and has documented the incident for further investigation.
“While our initial review has not identified any criminal violations associated with the incident, the matter has been documented in an informational report and assigned for further investigation in accordance with departmental policy,” the statement said.
Olivia Troye, a former national security official who’s running for Congress in Virginia, lives in the city and saw the flyers Monday morning. She told WTOP her doorbell camera recorded someone wearing a mask placing the flyers on cars, and she shared the footage with local authorities.
Photos of the flyers, featuring different designs, were posted on Reddit. One flyer spotted in Del Ray said “Arlington Community Watch,” and another, found in Old Town, said “Volunteer Community Watch.” Neither the city of Alexandria nor Arlington County defines itself as a “sanctuary jurisdiction,” according to their government websites.
In 2017, similar flyers that claimed to be from ICE were found across the District, warning residents it was illegal to offer aid to immigrants who entered the country illegally, The Washington Post reported. Those flyers had “sanctuary city neighborhood public notice” printed across the top.
The Alexandria Electoral Board didn’t respond to a request for comment.
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