Right-wing media figures are citing a Spanish-language flyer of dubious origin as evidence that Democrats are importing

Right-wing media figures are citing a Spanish-language flyer of dubious origin as evidence that Democrats are importing new voters to “rig” elections

WRITTEN BY JACK WINSTANLEY
PUBLISHED 04/19/24 12:41 PM EDT

Right-wing figures — and even some GOP politicians — shared social media posts from the Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project that pushed dubious claims about Spanish-language flyers in Mexico, which they claimed were encouraging asylum-seekers to vote for President Joe Biden once they arrive in the United States. In reality, there are virtually no cases of noncitizens voting in U.S. elections, and the flyer's origins are questionable.

• Citing right-wing site Muckraker.com, the Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project posted an image of a Spanish-language flyer allegedly found at a humanitarian aid center in Matamoras, Mexico, and claimed that it asked asylum-seekers to “vote for President Biden when you are in the United States.” The dubious flyer appears to be printed on a Resource Center Matamoros letterhead and offers asylum-seekers legal help through its partner organization, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society. After describing the services it offers, the letter seemingly veers into the political: “Reminder to vote for President Biden when you are in the U.S. We need four more years of his mandate to remain open.” The Oversight Project also provided video purporting to show the flyers posted in nearby port-a-potties. [Twitter/X, 4/15/24, 4/15/24]
  
  
• Resource Center Matamoros founder Gaby Zavala told The Associated Press that she did not know who made the flyer and that her aid organization “does not encourage immigrants to register to vote or cast ballots in the U.S.” The AP's analysis of the flyer noted that it “contained errors in spelling and grammar, and appeared to include verbatim paragraphs from the organization’s English-language website that were translated into Spanish using online translation software." [The Associated Press, 4/17/24]
  
  
• Even Fox News national correspondent Bill Melugin said he was “extremely skeptical” of the flyer, which he said “appears to be a word for word Google Translate copy & paste of a portion of the NGO's English website, with ‘vote for Biden’ randomly added in at the end.” [Twitter/X, 4/16/24, 4/16/24]

More:
https://www.mediamatters.org/immigration/right-wing-media-figures-are-citing-spanish-language-flyer-dubious-origin-evidence