Full Breakdown
DHS Secretary Demands State Cooperation on Voter-Roll Checks for Non-Citizens
7/17/2026, 9:37:25 PM
Core Action
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin sent letters on July 17, 2026 to the secretaries of state in California, New Jersey, Nevada and Pennsylvania. The correspondence asked each office to “work with DHS on election security” and to verify whether individuals on their voter rolls are U.S. citizens. Mullin gave the states two weeks—until July 24—to confirm cooperation. He warned that states refusing to participate would become a “priority” for federal review of their voter files and that officials could be held accountable.
Background & Context
The letters followed President Donald Trump’s primetime address in which he claimed foreign governments hold “hundreds of millions of U.S. voter files” and warned of election-system vulnerabilities. Trump also promoted the SAVE America Act, legislation that would impose stricter citizenship and identification requirements for voters. Mullin’s request builds on earlier DHS outreach that identified “thousands of noncitizens” on voter rolls in the same four states, a claim the department has not substantiated with evidence of actual voting.
Data & Statistics
- DHS estimates more than 250,000 potential non-citizen registrations across the four states.
- State-by-state figures cited in the letters: 190,832 in California, 35,152 in New Jersey, 15,903 in Nevada, and 14,576 in Pennsylvania.
- A separate DHS release noted 28,000 potential non-citizens identified in 25 other states and over 400,000 names of deceased individuals on voter rolls nationwide.
- Mullin also referenced a claim of 400,000 dead voters remaining on rolls, though no evidence of illegal voting was provided.
Official Statements & Responses
- Mullin asserted that “election security is national security” and emphasized the need for “maximum pressure” to root out illegal votes.
- Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt rejected DHS access, stating that the state already verifies voter identity and that “noncitizen voting is extremely rare across the country.”
- Governor Gavin Newsom’s press office reiterated California law requiring citizenship to vote and described voter fraud as “extremely rare.”
- The legal group Democracy Docket highlighted that the Justice Department has lost 15 court battles seeking voter-roll data, most rulings coming from judges appointed by Republican presidents.
Criticism & Opposition
Legal experts argue that DHS’s reliance on the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database is problematic because the system is “out of date and contains inaccuracies.” Critics warn that federal access to state voter files could violate longstanding state-run election administration norms and that the department has offered no methodology for its “preliminary review.” Advocacy groups note that past investigations have found only “low double-digit” instances of illegal non-citizen voting annually.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- Estimates of non-citizen registrations vary: Fox News reports 256,000 across the four states, while the Washington Times cites 190,000 for California alone.
- DHS has not disclosed how matches were generated or whether any of the identified individuals actually cast ballots.
- No independent audit has confirmed the accuracy of the DHS figures, and state officials have not provided data confirming illegal voting.
Verbatim Quotes
- “We’re not trying to get into anything else, but we’re saying that the machines had to be secured and that your voter restoration list needs to be scrubbed,” — Markwayne Mullin, Secretary of Homeland Security
- “I will tell you if the states choose not to participate — we will make sure that we make those states a priority to look at who voted in their states and hold the election officials accountable,” — Markwayne Mullin
- “The most efficient way to ensure the accuracy of our findings is to work collaboratively on identity verification.” — Markwayne Mullin
- “In Pennsylvania, every voter must take steps to verify their identity before they cast a ballot, including providing proper identification every time they register to vote, vote by mail, or vote at a new polling place. All evidence has shown that noncitizen voting is extremely rare across the country, including in Pennsylvania,” — Al Schmidt, Pennsylvania Secretary of State
- “California law is clear: You MUST be a U.S. citizen to vote state and federal elections,” — Gavin Newsom, Governor of California (press office)
- “Hundreds of millions of U.S. voter files are in the hands of foreign governments,” — Donald Trump, President of the United States
What’s Next
State election officials have until July 24 to respond to DHS’s request. The SAVE America Act remains pending in Congress, with Republican leaders urging passage while Democratic senators continue to block the measure through a filibuster.
