DHS and Census Claims of Non-Citizen Voter Registrations Face Scrutiny

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told reporters, “we’ve identified 250,000 noncitizens registered to vote in just four states.” The states named were Nevada, California, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, with a headline figure of 15,903 potential non-citizen registrations in Nevada.

CNN

During an August 13 virtual meeting with Nevada election officials, DHS officials said only 185 of the Nevada names had been confirmed as non-citizens after manual review. The department still had 14,000 + records pending verification, including 6,218 “higher-confidence” matches that had not yet been examined.

The Guardian

The DHS numbers have been used to bolster the Trump administration’s effort to pass the SAVE America Act, legislation that would require proof of citizenship to register to vote. The administration also highlighted a Census Bureau analysis that claimed 24,000 non-citizens voted in the 2020 presidential election, a figure President Trump promoted as evidence of a stolen election.

NPR

• 250,000 non-citizens allegedly identified across four states (public claim).

The Guardian

• 15,903 potential non-citizen registrations in Nevada (preliminary ceiling).

The Guardian

• 185 confirmed non-citizens in Nevada after manual review.

The Guardian

• 14,000+ records still under review in Nevada, including 6,218 higher-confidence matches.

The Guardian

• Census Bureau analysis identified 24,000 non-citizen voters out of 128 million records examined (?0.02 % of the 2020 vote).

Seattle Times

A DHS spokesperson clarified that the 185 confirmed cases were the only individuals that had undergone manual review, and the larger list was shared at Nevada’s request to aid early investigation.

CNN

Election-rights experts have questioned the methodology and credibility of both the DHS and Census findings. “This analysis is laughable. Census data cannot reliably be matched to voter data,” said David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation & Research. Former Census chief scientist John M. Abowd warned that the study’s claims were unsupported, and former Census Bureau director Robert Santos called the data quality “highly suspect.”

CNN

• Public claim vs. internal verification: Mullin’s 250,000-nationwide figure contrasts with DHS’s admission that only 185 Nevada cases are confirmed.

CNN

• Incomplete data sharing: Nevada officials have not received the full list of 15,903 names, hindering independent verification.

DHS has not verified its claim of nearly 16,000 noncitizen voters in Nevada

• Census methodology: The report lacks author attribution, variance measures, and clear linkage criteria, leading experts to label the findings speculative.

NPR

• “We’ve identified 250,000 noncitizens registered to vote in just four states,” — Markwayne Mullin, homeland security secretary

CNN

• “We’ve manually reviewed some of the 15,903 and confirmed 185 are not U.S. Citizens. We still have 14,000+ that still need additional review,” — Kimberley Vogt, fraud division chief, DHS

The Guardian

• “This analysis is laughable. Census data cannot reliably be matched to voter data,” — David Becker, Center for Election Innovation & Research

NPR

DHS says the review of the remaining 14,000 Nevada records is ongoing, but no timeline has been provided. Nevada election officials have asked for a more detailed list before the November midterm elections. The administration continues to promote the SAVE America Act, while experts urge greater transparency and methodological rigor before any further voter-eligibility actions are taken.

CNN