DHS Secretary Mullin claims 300,000 noncitizens under investigation for illegally voting

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin claimed his department is investigating 300,000 cases of potential noncitizens voting, with 1,600 active investigations.

The Trump administration has made potential noncitizens voting its central message heading into the midterm elections Tuesday, repeatedly claiming without evidence that it is widespread. The administration has used those allegations to try to interfere with states’ constitutional authority to administer elections.

“All we’re trying to do is make sure we secure our elections,” Mullin said in a Fox News interview.

In reality, repeated studies have shown that noncitizens voting is exceedingly rare and never happens in sufficient numbers to change the outcome of an election.

The Trump administration sent five states lists of alleged noncitizens who are supposedly registered to vote illegally. The administration sued California after the state refused to remove 20,000 people from the voting rolls that the Department of Justice (DOJ) claimed were “likely” noncitizens. It filed a separate suit alleging Washington failed to remove 400 people from its voting eligibility list. 

“They’re not being transparent with their elections. They’re not being transparent with who voted in past elections,” Mullin said.

Both California and Washington said a cursory examination of the lists found several errors, including American citizens, inactive voters and people who never registered to vote.

Mullin has made grandiose claims about noncitizens voting in the past that later fizzled under closer scrutiny. In July, Mullin claimed that DHS had identified over 250,000 noncitizens registered to vote in California, New Jersey, Nevada and Pennsylvania. Specifically in Nevada, he claimed his department identified more than 15,000 noncitizens registered to vote. That number was revised to 185 people, all of whom were later shown to be American citizens.

Despite that, Mullin pressed on, blaming Democrats for fostering sanctuary cities that become a “melting pot for criminal activity.”

“The Democrats, the only thing they’re for is sowing chaos and disruption. They’re not for anything else,” Mullin said.

Mullin’s comments come as a federal judge on Saturday questioned the Trump administration’s attempt to “purge” voting rolls using lists including “higher numbers of maybe citizens of certain descent.”