‘We will find you, hunt you down’: Trump’s DHS secretary warns illegal voters on Election Day; Newsom fights it out with ICE

Election Day reminder from Trump administration: Only US citizens can vote

US Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has issued a stern warning to people attempting to vote illegally in the United States, threatening that federal authorities will track them down and prosecute them as Americans head to polling stations for the November 3 midterm elections.“If you vote illegally in this country, and you are NOT eligible to vote, @DHSgov will find you, hunt you down, and you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Only American citizens should be deciding American elections,” Mullin wrote in a post on X.The warning came on Election Day as voters across the country cast ballots in elections that will determine control of the US House of Representatives and Senate for the remaining two years of President Donald Trump’s term.

The same warning was echoed by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement as ICE said: “If you vote illegally, we will find you. We will track you down, arrest you, and prosecute you. There will be no escape.” California Governor Gavin Newsom issued a counter-warning to ICE and said: “If YOU show up to the polls illegally, we will find you. We will track you down, arrest you, and prosecute you. There will be no escape”

Trump administration’s crackdown on noncitizen voting

The Department of Homeland Security has been working to identify people it suspects of being noncitizens on state voter registration rolls. In July, Mullin sent letters to election officials in California, New Jersey, Nevada and Pennsylvania, claiming that preliminary reviews had identified more than 250,000 potential noncitizens registered to vote across the four states.According to DHS, the figures included 190,832 potential noncitizens in California, 35,152 in New Jersey, 15,903 in Nevada and 14,576 in Pennsylvania.However, the figures were disputed by election officials. Nevada Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar said the state’s election office had not received supporting evidence for the department’s claims and described the numbers as speculative.Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt also said noncitizen voting was extremely rare and that the state would examine the information provided by DHS to evaluate its validity.The Trump administration has also expanded the use of the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) programme to check citizenship information against voter registration records.

Court blocks administration’s latest election push

Mullin’s warning came amid legal challenges to the administration’s efforts to identify suspected noncitizens on voter rolls.On November 3, a federal judge temporarily blocked the Justice Department and DHS from sending states lists of voters suspected of being noncitizens or encouraging officials to segregate or withhold their ballots until their citizenship was verified.US District Judge Tanya Chutkan expressed concerns about the reliability of the government’s data and the possibility that eligible voters could be disenfranchised.Voting rights organisations and privacy groups have challenged the administration’s efforts, arguing that the federal government is intruding into state election administration and relying on potentially inaccurate information.The administration has maintained that the measures are intended to enforce federal laws prohibiting noncitizens from voting.

Can non-US citizens vote in American elections?

Federal law prohibits non-US citizens from voting in federal elections, including elections for president and Congress. Violations can carry criminal penalties. Green Card holders can not vote.