Controversy Over ‘Vote for Biden’ Flyers

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News

MEXICO CITY/WASHINGTON (Worthy News) – A humanitarian group in northeastern Mexico, Resource Center Matamoros (RCM), has denied creating flyers urging migrants to vote for U.S. President Joe Biden.

Footage seen by Worthy News filmed at an RCM shelter sparked conservative outrage this week and added to pressure on the U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who late Wednesday narrowly survived a Republican-led impeachment effort.

The flyers seen by Worthy News contained the RCM logo with videos showing them on the interior walls of portable toilets at the center’s shelter near Mexico’s border with the U.S. State of Texas.


However, RCM founder Gaby Zavala claimed the organization doesn’t know who made the flyers and stressed that her group “does not encourage immigrants to register to vote or cast ballots in the U.S.”


The flyers 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.

“Reminder to vote for President Biden when you are in the United States,” read the Spanish-language flyers bearing RCM branding and carrying RCM contact information. “We need another four years of his term to stay open.”

Critics have accused the Biden administration of allowing the ongoing arrival of millions of migrants through the Mexico-U.S. border to boost its chances in the upcoming presidential elections.

HOMELAND SECURITY

Despite the flyers’ uncertain origin, House Republicans raised them in their questioning of Homeland Security Secretary Mayorkas.

Images and videos of the flyers at the Matamoros center erupted online after the Heritage Foundation’s oversight arm posted them on the social platform X on Monday evening.

The conservative think tank’s Oversight Project shared an image of one of the flyers, which was labeled as coming from Zavala and contained the RCM logo and another logo in Spanish reading, “all with Biden.”

It also shared a video that showed multiple flyers posted inside portable toilets where migrants might see them.

The Oversight Project also shared audio on RCM founder Gaby Zavala, in which she is alleged to have “implied… that she wants to help as many illegals as possible before President Trump is reelected.”

Zavala was previously reportedly an organizer for La Union del Pueblo Entero (LUPE), a partner of the Open Society Foundations (OSF) group founded by U.S. billionaire and philanthropist George Soros.

Zavala’s denials of involvement were expected to do little to convince critics concerned about Biden’s approach toward migrants arriving illegally in the United States.

BOOSTING RE-ELECTION?

Former President Donald J. Trump and his allies say the surge is evidence that Democrats are using migrants as a way to boost Biden’s re-election chances.

Only U.S. citizens are permitted to vote in federal elections, but Trump suggests that not enough has been done to control who votes on ballots adequately. Trump opponents argue that historically, the number of noncitizens caught attempting to cast a ballot illegally is “extremely small.”

However, Trump supporters would argue that still could make a difference in states with tight election results.

It comes amid mounting concerns about the influx of migrants, with U.S. officials processing an estimated 300,000 people at the U.S. border with Mexico in December, the highest number ever recorded.

According to U.S. Customs and Border Protection data, federal agents encountered roughly 2.5 million migrants at the southern border in 2023.

Aid workers say many migrants arriving at the U.S. border have been “pushed” out of their own countries by economic and political upheaval, natural disasters, and other crises. For example, the collapse of Venezuela’s economy over the past decade has driven about 8 million people from that country.

While many have found refuge in other South American countries, such as Colombia, millions in the region have made the long and dangerous trek to the U.S., hoping to find a better life for their impoverished families.

More migrants are expected following a reported historic rise in displaced people worldwide.

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