Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin is set to announce new election security measures Friday, following a report indicating that at least 278,000 noncitizens were registered to vote in U.S. federal elections. The announcement comes amid growing concerns about election integrity and follows a press conference where President Trump highlighted vulnerabilities in the U.S. voting system.
Mullin stated in a social media post that "Only Americans should be electing American leaders." He is scheduled to address the Trump administration's "efforts to secure American elections" at 11 a.m. The report, which the administration claims is based on limited data due to states' refusal to share voter files, suggests the actual number of noncitizens registered to vote could be substantially higher.
President Trump, in a recent speech, confirmed the findings of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) report, referring to the over 275,000 registrations as a partial tally. He further directed DHS to inform all states about noncitizens on their voter rolls and to ensure their immediate removal. This marks the highest number of noncitizen registrations publicly reported in U.S. history, though the extent to which these individuals may have illegally voted remains unclear.
In parallel with the national announcement, DHS has reportedly sent letters to officials in California, New Jersey, Nevada, and Pennsylvania. These notifications alert the states to an estimated 256,000 noncitizens registered to vote within their jurisdictions, with a significant majority located in California.
Under current U.S. law, noncitizens are prohibited from voting in federal elections, with penalties including a year in jail and a fine. However, the responsibility for verifying voter eligibility primarily rests with individual states. The administration has leveraged these findings to advocate for the SAVE America Act, a legislative proposal that would mandate proof of citizenship for voting and introduce other election reforms. This bill has faced considerable opposition in Congress, notably a Democratic filibuster in the Senate.
President Trump has urged the public to contact their lawmakers to support the passage of the SAVE America Act. This push for enhanced election security follows recent actions by the Department of Justice, which has sent letters to election officials nationwide, warning of potential criminal prosecution for any involvement in counting ballots cast by noncitizens. The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, signed into law by President Bill Clinton, criminalizes noncitizen voting.