Homeland Security Secretary Threatens Prison Time for Noncompliant State Election Officials

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin warned state election officials on July 17 that they could face prison time and loss of federal election aid if they refuse to cooperate with administration methods for identifying noncitizens on voter rolls.

Mullin spoke from the Indian Treaty Room at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington. He said the federal government had identified 250,000 noncitizen voters in California, Nevada, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

At least 25 states have used the SAVE program since the Trump administration expanded its capabilities in April 2025. "If you are an illegal or you are voting illegally, we will hunt you down, we will find you and we will prosecute you," Mullin said. He pledged that the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency would release an updated election infrastructure plan within 30 days.

A federal judge recently blocked the overhauled SAVE program over privacy concerns and risks of wrongful purges. The administration has placed more than a dozen election-focused CISA staffers on administrative leave and cut $10 million from two cybersecurity initiatives. CISA remains without a Senate-confirmed director.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said on social media that the state has free, fair, and secure elections and will fight for them. Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar stated his state has done significant work to clean its voter rolls and expressed confidence in their integrity.

David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, said every court to review the demands has ruled that the federal government cannot legally require access to states' sensitive voter data.