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FIRST ON FOX – The Department of Homeland Security told election officials in California, New Jersey, Nevada and Pennsylvania a preliminary review found what could be more than 256,000 noncitizens registered to vote across the four states, according to letters obtained by Fox News Digital.
In the four letters dated Friday, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the department compared publicly available voter registration records with federal immigration data and uncovered thousands of potential matches. He asked state election officials to work with DHS to verify the identities before taking any action.
According to the letters, DHS estimates there may be as many as 190,832 noncitizens registered to vote in California, 35,152 in New Jersey, 15,903 in Nevada and 14,576 in Pennsylvania.
The department said it found 81,336 California registrants, 19,497 New Jersey registrants, 8,576 Nevada registrants and 8,594 Pennsylvania registrants whose names, dates of birth, addresses and Social Security numbers match noncitizens in DHS records.
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Many noncitizens are legally issued Social Security numbers, including lawful permanent residents, people authorized to work in the United States and certain visa holders. DHS said it used Social Security numbers as one of several identifiers in matching voter registration records with federal immigration records.
The letters describe the findings as a preliminary review.
“The most efficient way to ensure the accuracy of our findings is to work collaboratively on identity verification,” Mullin wrote. DHS said it is prepared to provide immigration records under federal law to help states determine whether those individuals are eligible to remain on the voter rolls.
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Mullin said ensuring that only U.S. citizens vote in federal elections is essential to protecting election integrity, writing that “allowing just one non-citizen to vote cancels the vote of one U.S. citizen.”
He added that states maintain voter registration rolls while the federal government maintains the immigration records needed to verify citizenship.
The letters ask the secretaries of state to contact DHS by July 24 so the department can begin sharing records and assisting with the verification process ahead of future federal elections.
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California Secretary of State Shirley Weber, Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt, New Jersey Secretary of State Dale Caldwell and Nevada Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital requests for comment.
The letters come as the Trump administration continues pushing states to work more closely with federal agencies on election security and voter eligibility, arguing that access to federal immigration records can help states maintain accurate voter rolls.
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