A federal whistleblower has alleged that Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents may have violated state laws while investigating voter rolls. The report, provided by the nonprofit Democracy Defenders Fund, was made public Monday by Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY). The allegations center on a federal program known as the Unlawful Voter Initiative, which reportedly surged personnel to identify noncitizens registered to vote.
The whistleblower claims that federal agents scoured state voter rolls by entering personally identifiable information into public-facing websites. According to the report, these websites often require users to attest that they are the voter in question or have the voter's express authorization to access the records. The whistleblower alleges that agents were directed by leadership to make these attestations, which the report states likely violates state laws, such as those in Virginia.
The report also claims that DHS agents were assigned quotas, requiring them to review at least five subjects per hour and 40 subjects per day. This pace gave officers approximately 12 minutes to determine an individual's citizenship status. Training materials included in the report reportedly acknowledge that the voter data set being used by the agency contains inconsistent information. DHS has not responded to requests for comment, though the report notes that the USCIS Office of Chief Counsel provided guidance stating agents could use these websites for investigative purposes.
For the individual voter, this program means their personal data is being run through public state portals by federal agents without their knowledge or consent. According to Sen. Padilla and Sen. Schumer, the use of unreliable federal data and rushed 12-minute investigations could lead to the disenfranchisement of eligible citizens or the disruption of local election administration. The lawmakers expressed concern that these actions could interfere with the legal right to vote if the data is used to challenge registration status shortly before an election.
The allegations establish a potential conflict between federal investigative mandates and state privacy and computer-access laws. If the claims of illegal access are substantiated, it could set a precedent regarding the limits of federal authority to use public-facing state infrastructure for immigration-related enforcement. Sens. Padilla and Schumer have called on Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and USCIS Director Joseph Edlow to halt the initiative. A specific deadline for a response or a date for further congressional action was not reported.