UMVA has learned that federal investigators from a key Homeland Security unit have obtained sensitive voter registration files from election officials in two major counties, sparking concerns about the Trump administration's efforts to identify and remove noncitizens from voter rolls.
The aggressive move comes as part of a broader push to verify citizenship in elections and crack down on illegal voting. Investigators requested specific voter data from Webb County, Texas, officials in May, and received files that can include registration history, addresses, dates of birth, driver's license numbers, and voting history.
In North Carolina, a separate request last November sought registration information for two individual voters in Forsyth County, and those records were also turned over. This raises questions about the extent of the administration's efforts to scrutinize voter rolls and the potential impact on election integrity.
President Donald Trump's executive order directing federal agencies to strengthen citizenship verification in elections has made rooting out noncitizen voting a priority. The administration argues that even small numbers of ineligible votes undermine election integrity, and has been actively promoting the use of a key database to verify citizenship status.
UMVA can exclusively reveal that Webb County Election Administrator Jose Castillo had not previously received such requests from federal immigration authorities. He claimed that in his four years on the job, he had seen only cases of noncitizen voting among more than 150,000 voters in the county.
A government spokesperson stated that the agency has repeatedly demonstrated that illegal aliens can and do vote in elections. The spokesperson emphasized that the agency is committed to restoring integrity to election systems and ensuring that American citizens and only American citizens are electing American leaders.
In North Carolina, state election officials have already begun using a key system to review voter rolls for noncitizens. The State Board of Elections approved new rules in April to check the citizenship of all registered voters against federal databases, with processes in place before any voter is removed.
The Trump administration has directed the Department of Justice to pursue statewide voter roll data from states and push federal databases into election administration. A recent memo directed investigators to pursue maximum consequences, including deportation proceedings, for noncitizens found to have voted illegally.
The next few months will likely see more states and counties receiving similar inquiries as the federal government steps up its election-integrity initiatives ahead of the midterms. This raises concerns about the potential impact on voters and the integrity of the electoral process.
