On Wednesday, the vast majority of House Democrats voted against legislation that aims to require that individuals show proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in elections for federal office — a bill that Republicans argue is needed to combat the ongoing border crisis and shore up election integrity.

Five Democrats joined with 216 Republicans to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which also pushes states to remove non-citizens from voter rolls, sending the bill to the Senate. Another 198 Democrats voted against the legislation. Four other Republicans and 10 Democrats did not vote.

“Today 198 House Democrats voted against preventing illegal aliens from voting in American elections,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) said in a statement after the legislation passed, adding later, “House Democrats have now proven they believe that illegal aliens should vote in American elections.”

The Democrats who broke ranks to back the bill, which former President Donald Trump had endorsed while saying it would prevent Democrats from cheating in the election process, included Henry Cuellar (TX), Donald Davis (NC), Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA), Jared Golden (ME), and Vicente Gonzalez (TX).

Axios reported House Democrat leaders had urged their peers to oppose the bill, claiming it would create an “extreme burden for countless Americans,” make a passport the “only acceptable standalone form of identification,” and “further intimidate election officials and overburden states’ abilities to enroll new voters.”

While some municipalities in a few states and Washington, D.C., allow non-citizens to vote in local elections, evidence shows there have been multiple instances noncitizens on voter rolls in various states where it is not permitted, as noted in a report that was released by Johnson’s office in vouching for the SAVE Act.

The report also warned of a National Voter Registration Act “loophole.” This federal law “does not require states to ask for proof of citizenship when registering an individual to vote in federal elections,” but rather “relies on individuals to merely attest they are a citizen and eligible to vote,” the report explained.

President Joe Biden has already formally rejected the SAVE Act. A policy statement from his administration said it is currently illegal for non-citizens to vote in federal elections and claimed that states “already have effective safeguards in place to verify voters’ eligibility and maintain the accuracy of voter rolls.”

It added states have “effective safeguards … to verify voters’ eligibility and maintain the accuracy of voter rolls” … and the bill does “noting to safeguard our elections, but it would make it much harder for all eligible Americans to register to vote and increase the risk that eligible voters are purged from voter rolls.”

The Save Act faces long odds of becoming federal law with the current power makeup in Washington. While Republicans lead the House, Democrats control the Senate. But that reality did not stop Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX), the lawmaker who introduced the legislation, from putting the upper chamber on notice.

“We will only be able to keep this republic as a republic as long as our citizenship as Americans remains meaningful,” Roy said in a statement posted line, adding later, “We must push forward, pressure the Senate, and keep up the fight for what makes this country great and what it means to be an American citizen.”