A complaint filed against Bernie Sanders’ 2020 campaign for president maintains that Sanders broke federal election laws by hiring illegal aliens for his campaign staff.
The complaint filed with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) by the Coolidge Reagan Foundation cites the Sanders campaign for hiring three illegal aliens to fill advisory positions in the campaign. The complaint claims this is a violation of laws that mean to prevent foreign influence in our elections, Fox News reported.
The Sanders campaign recently announced it had taken on Maria Belén Sisa as its deputy national press secretary. Sisa previously served on Sanders’ Latino outreach team for his 2016 campaign.
Sisa claims her parents brought her into the U.S. illegally from Argentina when she was six years old. She now claims the status as a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient. Her legal protection from deportation will expire next year.
She also recently caused an uproar by utilizing the antisemitic trope of “dual allegiance” against American Jews while defending Minnesota Democrat Ilhan Omar’s many antisemitic proclamations.
The FEC complaint says that the Sanders campaign’s hiring of illegals is a “direct and serious violation” of federal election laws.
“Senator Sanders and Bernie 2020 is permitting a foreign national, Ms. Sisa, to serve in an advisory position which allows her to directly or indirectly participate in the decision-making process of persons with regard to election-related activities in violation of FEC regulations,” the filing says.
The complaint also names Sanders operatives Erika Andiola and Cesar Vargas as examples of such violations.
“Due to the high profile of Cesar Vargas, Erika Andiola, and Maria Belén Sisa as leading activists in the undocumented community, there is reason to believe that respondents are ‘foreign nationals’ within the meaning of 52 U.S.C. § 301219b)(2), and in violation of 11 C.F.R. § 110.20 (i) and A.O. 2004-26, directly or indirectly participated in the decision-making process of persons with regard to the election-related activities of Bernie 2016,” the complaint adds.
The FEC complaint says that Sanders is knowingly permitting foreign nationals to play key roles in his campaign. The group seeks to have the three barred from Sanders’ campaign and from having any part in any other campaigns.
FEC rules prevent foreigners from serving on campaigns and also from donating money to U.S. politicians.
Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston.