ELECTION INTEGRITY
ICE examines tens of millions of voter records in noncitizen-voting inquiry
Internal DHS records show ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations reviewed tens of millions of voter records and other data to identify suspected noncitizen registration or voting, while also scrutinizing voter-registration groups and briefing the White House.
Internal DHS records show ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations reviewed tens of millions of voter records and other data to identify suspected noncitizen registration or voting, while also scrutinizing voter-registration groups and briefing the White House.
What This is
- The White House pressed DHS to accelerate reviews of voter rolls from at least 47 states for possible noncitizen voters.
- ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations ran a national effort that analyzed tens of millions of voter records for suspected noncitizen registrants and voters.
- The effort used commercial data to supplement information missing from redacted voter rolls before matching records against immigration and other federal databases.
- Investigators used data-analysis tools, including Palantir’s ELITE, to help identify and track suspected noncitizen cases.
- Officials reported many false positives and difficulty verifying identities.
- Documents describe scrutiny of voter-registration groups and nonprofits, including consideration of undercover investigations, with updates shared with the White House.
Why This Matters
- Using immigration and commercial data to police voting expands federal surveillance and raises privacy concerns about how personal records are used.
- Incorrect identity matches could subject eligible citizens to investigation or discourage them from registering and voting.
- Investigations of voter-registration groups could chill civic organizing and shift election oversight toward federal law enforcement.
- The operation tests whether efforts to detect rare instances of unlawful voting can avoid widespread errors, fear, and unequal burdens.