The US president has reportedly directed DHS to review citizens who voted in past elections before naturalization
US President Donald Trump has ordered the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to launch a nationwide review of potential voter fraud involving naturalized American citizens, CNN reported on Thursday, citing an internal memo.
The initiative directs DHS to identify cases in which individuals may have registered to vote or cast ballots before obtaining citizenship.
The reported effort is intended to enforce federal election laws and expand oversight of voter registration data. The step comes as part of the administration’s broader hardline immigration and election integrity agenda.
Last week, Trump threatened federal intervention in some state elections, citing concerns over noncitizens allegedly voting illegally. The president has also announced plans for an executive order requiring voters to show identification in the midterm elections, saying Voter ID will be introduced “whether approved by Congress or not!”
The memo obtained by the news outlets instructs DHS offices to review all open and closed voter fraud cases, flagging any person who later became a naturalized citizen. Investigators are required to report instances where they decide not to pursue charges. The directive comes under the Identity and Benefit Fraud Unit, which the memo reportedly describes as “designed to identify, investigate, and disrupt activities that undermine the integrity of federal, state, and local elections and ensure compliance with applicable election laws.”
It cites federal statutes governing voter registration and fraudulent voting and emphasizes that offenses must have been committed “knowingly.” The memo, titled ‘Potential Voter Fraud – Denaturalization’, focuses specifically on individuals who registered or voted illegally prior to becoming citizens.
The administration has previously coordinated between the Justice Department and the DHS to cross-check voter rolls against federal immigration data, seeking to identify noncitizens on registration lists, CNN noted. Instances of noncitizen voting are reportedly rare, but election officials and voter advocates acknowledge that non-citizens do sometimes end up on registration rolls, sometimes inadvertently.
The White House and DHS maintain that the review targets violations of the law, while critics and voting rights groups caution that such efforts could intimidate voters and create unnecessary scrutiny of naturalized citizens.
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