The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) reported it found more than 256,000 potential non-citizen voter registrations across four states. Texas Congressman Keith Self says that's all the proof Congress needs to pass the SAVE America Act.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin sent letters this week to the secretaries of state in California, New Jersey, Nevada, and Pennsylvania, warning them that preliminary reviews of their voter registration records found potentially hundreds of thousands of non-citizens on their rolls.
The figures cited were: 190,832 in California, 35,152 in New Jersey, 15,903 in Nevada, and 14,576 in Pennsylvania.
Self posted the numbers directly on X, calling them proof that the Senate must act. "This is EXACTLY why the Senate must pass the SAVE America Act!" he wrote.
As Texas Politics has reported, the SAVE America Act would overhaul federal elections by requiring voters to show ID at the polls and to provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote.
Trump's Priority
President Donald Trump has made the bill a top priority, and the House has already passed it. However, the legislation has stalled in the Senate, where it lacks the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune has acknowledged his caucus is "not even close" to having the votes to eliminate the filibuster, which Trump has called for doing to advance the bill.
It is worth noting that voting in federal elections is already illegal for non-citizens under existing law, and such cases are considered rare. Federal registration forms require voters to swear under penalty of perjury that they are citizens.
Furthermore, the DHS figures represent preliminary findings, and the department has asked the four states to respond within two weeks and confirm whether they will collaborate with DHS to review their rolls.
DHS has also taken several additional steps on election security in recent weeks, including requiring FEMA grant recipients to adopt election-integrity measures and directing ICE to enforce stricter penalties, such as deportation, for non-citizens who vote.
Self and other supporters of the SAVE America Act say the DHS report underscores the urgency of passing the legislation before November's midterm elections.
