Homeland Security Secretary warns states over alleged 250,000 non-citizen voter registrations
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin warned state election officials in Washington that failure to use a Department of Homeland Security database and to comply with new election-security directives could trigger loss of federal funding and criminal penalties. NBC News reported that Mullin told the officials they must employ the DHS database to verify voter eligibility, threatening both funding cuts and possible prosecutions for non-compliance. The Associated Press added that the warning came days after President Trump’s televised remarks and emphasized that states could face investigations if they ignored the administration’s security measures. CNN noted that Mullin later reiterated his claim that hundreds of thousands of non-citizens were registered to vote, while letters sent to the four targeted states said the figures were unverified, prompting bipartisan pushback from election officials.
Al Jazeera reported that Mullin announced the department would make the new security requirements mandatory and said federal funds could be withheld from states that did not comply, echoing the president’s assertions about illegal voting. CBS News quoted Mullin as citing a federal review that found up to 250,000 non-citizen registrations in California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Nevada, but experts cited in the report said the number was likely inflated and the methodology was not disclosed. State election officials in the four states have disputed the numbers, saying the data lack transparency and that the alleged registrations have not been confirmed.
