The Trump administration said it had identified 185 noncitizens on Nevada’s voter rolls — but Nevada checked the names and says every one of them is a U.S. citizen.
“Our records indicate that they were citizens,” Nevada Deputy Attorney General said in a letter obtained by The New York Times. “You have provided nothing of substance to suggest otherwise.”
The finding cast doubt on a claim by the Department of Homeland Security, which had previously raised the possibility of nearly 16,000 noncitizens on the state’s rolls.
“Our records do not support DHS’s claims, and DHS has still not provided evidence to change that,” said Nevada Secretary of State Francisco Aguilar. “Instead, DHS officials continue their attempts to intimidate election officials into compliance and deter voters with huge claims of fraud with no evidence.”
The Times called the dispute the Trump administration’s “latest stumble” in its effort to find evidence of widespread noncitizen voting, which the publication noted is “extremely rare.”
The new development drew immediate reactions.
The Bulwark’s Sam Stein pointed to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin’s earlier threats of prison time to election officials, “pointing to allegations of mass voter fraud in Nevada among other places.”
“The state looked into DHS's claims. They found nothing,” he wrote on X.
David J. Bier, director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute, noted DHS’s shift from nearly 16,000 suspected voters to a list of 185 that Nevada says are all citizens.
“DHS certainly isn't too concerned about disenfranchising Americans,” he posted Thursday.
DHS disputed Nevada’s account, telling the Times the state’s characterization was “false.”
"Incredible," wrote immigration lawyer Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council. "All 185 were citizens. DHS got 100% wrong."
