Trump launches hunt for alleged noncitizen voters

Homeland Security Investigations, or HSI, is using voter and government databases to identify possible noncitizens who registered or voted. Agents have also visited homes and questioned people about alleged election activity. The effort matters because it places a federal investigative agency directly in communities during a major election period.

The agency says it is investigating election crimes and protecting election integrity. Its own posts showed agents approaching homes, knocking, and speaking with at least one woman. HSI has promoted the work with messages including “AMERICAN ELECTIONS ARE FOR AMERICANS.” The searches have taken place in states including California, Kansas, and Texas.

The article says this is far removed from HSI’s usual mission of investigating illegal movements across the border. The campaign has also raised fears of intimidation, especially among immigrant communities. Studies cited in the article find that noncitizen voting is extremely rare, so the investigations are pursuing a largely unsupported large-scale fraud claim.

A noncitizen is a person who has not acquired or been recognized as a citizen of the United States. That can include people with lawful immigration status and people without lawful status. Citizenship is relevant because voting in federal elections is generally limited to U.S. citizens, making registration or voting by a noncitizen potentially unlawful.

The investigation focuses on people described in the article as “non-naturalized immigrants.” HSI has searched voter records and immigration-related information for people who may have registered or voted. Agents have also asked migrants during detention and deportation operations whether they registered or voted in the United States.

The article does not explain every eligibility rule or exception. It does report that studies find extremely few noncitizens register, and even fewer vote. It also says election officials and other agencies investigate allegations when they arise. The central dispute is whether an alleged broad problem justifies the administration’s expanded federal operation.

The clearest figure is that HSI trawled databases containing millions of voter records. The article does not provide a precise number for immigration-related records, applications, or individual files gathered for the investigations. It says the government used databases from other agencies and redirected immigration staff toward election-fraud cases.

The administration also reactivated the SAVE system to verify voters’ citizenship. Documents supplied to Democracy Forward after a Freedom of Information Act request showed that government agencies used other government databases as part of the effort. ICE was reportedly asked to largely stop reviewing migrants’ lawful-status applications so it could search for possible election cases.

That distinction matters. “Millions” describes the scale of the voter data examined, not a confirmed number of suspicious voters or immigration records. The article gives no total for the latter. It also says HSI considered undercover investigations of organizations suspected of registering noncitizens, particularly in New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

The article says studies consistently find that noncitizens almost never register or vote in United States elections. The Center for Election Innovation & Research, a nonpartisan organization, updated its review in September and rejected sweeping claims of widespread noncitizen participation.

CEIR said alleged registration or voting figures can result from misunderstandings, mischaracterizations, or outright fabrications involving complicated voter data. It added that election officials and other agencies investigate such claims whenever they arise. Those investigations find extremely few noncitizens registering, and even fewer actually voting.

This evidence conflicts with Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin’s July claim that about 250,000 noncitizens were registered in a handful of states. The article presents that number as refuted by studies. The gap between the claim and the research is central to the controversy. It helps explain why immigrant-rights groups fear the campaign may create intimidation without uncovering large-scale fraud.

When federal agents investigate people at home or ask immigration detainees about voting, immigrant communities may experience the election system as a threat rather than a public service. The article says community members became less willing to open their doors or attend events because they feared encounters with federal agents.

The concern extends to polling places. Organizations representing minorities sued after reports that ICE agents might be present near voting locations. Their lawsuit said DHS had reassigned hundreds of employees and accelerated election investigations, even though Congress did not create DHS to oversee elections or decide voter eligibility.

The article does not provide a measured turnout decline. It does document fears of voter intimidation and reduced community outreach. Those effects could make eligible voters less willing to seek help, attend events, or cast ballots. The campaign therefore has consequences beyond any individual investigation, especially as agents operate close to the midterms.

HSI is the investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security. The article describes its usual mission as investigating illegal movements across the border. ICE is the immigration police agency involved in detention and deportation operations. USCIS is the DHS agency that reviews migrants’ applications for lawful status.

SAVE is a federal data system used to verify citizenship, and the administration reactivated it for voter checks. The article says ICE was asked to largely stop reviewing lawful-status applications while searching for election-fraud cases. Immigration officers also questioned migrants about voter registration and voting during enforcement operations.

These altered duties are why the campaign drew criticism. A lawsuit said DHS had reassigned hundreds of HSI and USCIS employees and adopted directives to speed election investigations. The article says the work is far removed from HSI’s normal role. It also reports that HSI considered undercover agents targeting organizations suspected of registering noncitizens.

In the article’s account, voter eligibility is checked through voter records, citizenship verification, and investigations of specific allegations. Election officials and other agencies investigate claims when they arise. The Center for Election Innovation & Research says these reviews find extremely few noncitizens registering and even fewer voting.

The administration expanded that process by reactivating SAVE, searching government databases, and assigning DHS personnel to election-related cases. HSI reviewed millions of voter records, while ICE and USCIS personnel were reportedly redirected from parts of their usual immigration work. The government justified the shift by saying illegal votes dilute citizens’ ballots.

The article does not provide a complete description of every state’s election system or all institutions involved. It does report that a September lawsuit argued Congress did not create DHS to oversee elections or determine voter eligibility. That complaint captures the institutional dispute: routine election checks versus a new, federal homeland-security campaign.