Mullin reveals 250k non-citizens registered to vote in just four states

By Sarah Roderick-Fitch
The Center Square

Following allegations of foreign adversaries meddling in U.S. elections during a primetime address Thursday by President Donald Trump, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin laid out a plan of action to secure American votes.

Mullin delivered remarks to the media Friday, equating election security to national security.

The secretary underscored that the investigations aren’t about “rehashing the 2020 election.”

“This is just exposing what took place, and to make sure it never happens again. And there’s some really easy steps that can be taken to secure our elections. And it shouldn’t be a partisan issue. This should be something that every American, regardless if you’re a Republican, you’re a Democrat, you’re an independent, you’re a Libertarian, regardless if you live in a blue state or you live in a red state, everybody should know that their vote counts,” Mullin said.

As part of the plan to secure elections, the Department of Homeland Security says it has identified 250,000 non-citizens who are registered to vote in four states: California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Nevada.

DHS has also worked with “proactive states” to identify 28,000 non-citizens on their voter rolls, in addition to another 400,000 deceased individuals still on voter rolls.

Mullin indicated nearly two dozen states are currently working with DHS on the Save Program to secure election integrity.

The secretary said that Iran “hacked” state voter files and “attempted to compromise” voter systems used by members of the military. He added that DHS is working with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and the Department of War to “safeguard those systems.”

Echoing claims made by the president during his primetime address Thursday evening regarding allegations of election integrity, Mullin accused the intelligence community of withholding vital information on China’s possible involvement in meddling in elections from both Trump during his first administration and Congress, accusing the Biden administration of not disclosing the intelligence.

As part of DHS’s plan to deliver secure elections, its cybersecurity team will be releasing an “updated election infrastructure plan” to the public within 30 days. Mullin argues the 30 days will give states the necessary resources to assist on the “cyber side.”

The secretary emphasized that DHS and the Trump administration are not seeking to alter election outcomes, but rather to ensure trust in the voting system.

“DHS is well prepared to support all states, red states, blue states and local election officials ahead of the midterms. States must do their part to secure our election system, and we stand by to help. If you are an illegal or you’re voting illegally, we will hunt you down, we will find you, and we will prosecute you. The American people must have confidence in our elections. Election security is not a partisan issue,” the secretary told reporters.

Mullin also addressed concerns about whether individuals within the intelligence community under former President Joe Biden who have been accused of withholding information about elections will be held accountable.

“We are currently going through those lists. We will hold each one of them accountable,” Mullin told reporters, while underscoring they are not serving under Trump’s leadership.

During the president’s address, he announced the declassification of a trove of documents that he argues point to a massive voter data breach by China, vulnerabilities regarding electronic voting systems, and illegal voters on voter rolls.

Trump used the address to pressure Americans to contact their elected members of Congress to persuade them to vote for the Save American Act, which has become a flashpoint for Trump’s second administration.

Passage of the legislation hinges on the GOP-controlled Senate, which currently doesn’t have the 60 votes to break a filibuster. Trump has been urging Senate Republicans to tank the filibuster as the clock ticks down toward the midterm elections in November.