Donald Trump has directed the Department of Homeland Security to begin a nationwide crackdown on alleged voter fraud, with the effort focused on several politically crucial swing states as Republicans prepare for a difficult midterm election cycle.
Starting Tuesday, Homeland Security Investigations — the investigative division of ICE — will begin what CNN described as a “coordinated criminal voter fraud surge initiative” designed to follow investigative leads, carry out field interviews and help speed prosecutorial review.
The operation is intended to bolster Trump’s long-running claims that recent elections have been tainted by widespread voter fraud, including alleged voting by illegal immigrants. Agents in nine states will be authorized to pursue leads through mid-October.
The first phase of the sweep is expected to include Washington, Wisconsin, Missouri, Georgia, California, Pennsylvania, Nevada, New York and Connecticut.
According to CNN, agents have been instructed to take highly visible investigative steps at the same time the midterm campaign season begins to intensify.
The Justice Department has historically warned against such actions during an active election period, citing concerns that law enforcement activity could be seen as influencing voters or the outcome of a race.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, who took over after Trump fired Kristi Noem in March, has sought to reshape the department into a central player in the president’s push to uncover alleged election fraud.
DHS has also pressed states to provide voter rolls for audits, while Mullin has repeatedly warned that federal grant funding could be withheld from states that decline to adopt the administration’s proposed election changes.
Donald Trump has ordered Homeland Security to launch a nationwide voter fraud crackdown targeting key swing states as Republicans brace for a brutal midterm fight
Homeland Security Investigations, ICE’s investigative arm, will launch a ‘coordinated criminal voter fraud surge initiative to pursue investigative leads, conduct field interviews, and support timely prosecutorial review,’
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has pushed to turn the department into a powerful new force in the president’s effort to root out alleged election fraud
‘DHS is laser focused on prosecuting and removing aliens who vote and preventing the dilution of the votes of US citizens,’ a Homeland Security spokesperson told Our News Outlet.
‘Our message to aliens who vote in American elections is clear: we will find you, arrest you, and you will face the consequences — including criminal charges and deportation.’
HSI, the agency leading the voter fraud investigation surge, has typically been used to tackle major crimes such as human trafficking, drug smuggling, and child exploitation.
Mullin has already assigned an unprecedented number of investigators to examine the voting histories of suspected noncitizens who may have illegally registered or cast ballots in past elections.
HSI agents were previously ordered to coordinate with US Citizenship and Immigration Services on removal proceedings involving noncitizens suspected of committing or being linked to voter fraud.
Despite the sweeping effort, the Trump administration has so far referred relatively few voter fraud cases for prosecution.
Earlier this summer, Mullin announced that a DHS audit had uncovered more than 250,000 noncitizens on public voter rolls in California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Nevada.
‘One thing that I love about numbers, and I love about facts, is they don’t lie,’ Mullin said to reporters at the time.
The latest crackdown scheduled to start Tuesday comes as Republicans in Congress face the possibility of losing their majorities in the House and Senate.
