The White House is pushing states to remove non-citizens from voter rolls before November’s midterms, after finding tens of thousands of non-citizens registered to vote and hundreds casting ballots, according to a report.
DHS obtained voter rolls from at least 47 states under the Trump administration’s “Unlawful Voter Initiative.” One DHS official offered in a Sept. 1 email to raise with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles if progress couldn’t be made.
Review Data at a Glance
| State | Non-Citizens Found on Rolls | Illegal Ballots Cast |
|---|---|---|
| California | Up to 35,152 | Not stated |
| New Jersey | 6,600 | Roughly 400 |
| New York | Over 10,000 (est.) | Not stated |
| Combined (CA, NJ, NV, PA) | 190,832 | Not stated |
The total DHS review covers 278,000 non-citizens registered nationwide.
How the Review Works
USCIS, other DHS subagencies, the State Department and the Social Security Administration are working to match voter rolls with federal databases. DHS purchased data broker information at times to fill gaps such as missing birthdates, per Reuters citing the Sept. 1 email.
Federal prosecutors have charged at least 149 illegal aliens with unlawful voting since 1996, with 20 cases filed during Trump’s second term.
The Numbers Behind Registration
Reuters reported as many as 30,000 non-citizens added to voter rolls since 2000 via software glitches and errors from automatic driver’s license registration. The system Republicans now want to fix is the same one they tried to fix through the SAVE America Act, which Senate Democrats blocked.
Trump’s Claims About the Election
Trump claims the 2020 election loss was due to voter fraud. He pushed executive action tightening mail-in rules, which were blocked by courts. He asked Congress for stronger voter ID legislation, which failed.
In July, Trump accused China of illegally acquiring voter information on 220 million Americans and engaging in “other election-related activities” against his first administration and the 2020 campaign. The accusation remains unresolved.
The White House Line
White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis said the “real story” is that media denial of non-citizen voting has ended after arrests nationwide. She urged Democrats to stop blocking the SAVE America Act, calling it commonsense legislation ensuring “Americans, and Americans only” decide elections.
The State Response
New Jersey Democratic Gov. Mikie Sherrill admitted 6,600 non-citizens found on Garden State voter rolls, with roughly 400 illegally casting ballots June 2023–June 2024.
The Key Players
| Role | Person/Office | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| White House Chief of Staff | Susie Wiles | Raised in Sept. 1 email if progress couldn’t be made |
| Homeland Security Secretary | Markwayne Mullin | Cited review in July letter noting 190,832 non-citizens may be registered |
| White House spokeswoman | Lauren Bis | Called SAVE America Act commonsense legislation |
What the White House Wants Now
The administration wants states to act before November. the New York Post’s review is ongoing, and the final numbers have not been released.
The Paper’s View
The White House is asking states to act on a registration system it says is flawed. That system — automatic driver’s license and welfare office registration — was the subject of the SAVE America Act, which Senate Democrats blocked. The administration is now asking for action on a problem it says exists.
The numbers are real. The question is whether the fix matches the problem.
Where the paper stands
The paper backs states acting on their own voter rolls without a federal mandate and is against the White House pushing states to remove non-citizens before November’s midterms. The White House is using preliminary review findings, not finalized data, to pressure states into action, and that pressure comes from an administration that already tried and failed to fix the underlying registration system through the SAVE America Act.
The paper opposes federal mandates that push state action without clear authority, and the White House is now trying to use a preliminary review to force states to act. The review itself raises questions about privacy, including the purchase of data broker information to fill gaps in federal databases. The administration’s own history — blocked executive action, failed voter ID legislation, a SAVE America Act blocked by Senate Democrats — shows it has already tried the legislative route and lost.
Readers should note that the review’s findings are still preliminary, and the final numbers have not been released. The White House’s push for action before November’s midterms rests on a system it has already said is broken, yet which Senate Democrats blocked from being fixed legislatively. The paper will continue to cover this story as the review progresses and the administration presses its case.
Source material: “White House pushes purge of non-citizens from voter rolls ahead of midterms: report,” the New York Post.
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