Senators Say DHS Ordered Agents To 'Misrepresent Themselves' To Access State Voter Rolls

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Alex Padilla on Monday accused the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) of directing hundreds of federal agents to seek access to state voter rolls — even if that requires them to 'misrepresent themselves' — and to 'fabricate' evidence of voter fraud ahead of the midterm elections, according to information they say came from a whistleblower.

Allegations From Senators

At a Capitol press briefing, Schumer described a whistleblower warning that the department had diverted 'hundreds, hundreds of federal agents from national security rolls and sending them on a wild goose chase.' He said the apparent objective was to try to validate election-fraud claims tied to former President Trump that Schumer called 'sad, tired, and long-debunked.'

Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images - PHOTO: A voter uses a ballot drop box at the Bucks County Administration building voting on demand and ballot drop center in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, October 31, 2024.

'Apparently, agents are being commanded to violate state laws to access private voter information and fabricate law enforcement records as part of DHS's "Unlawful Voter Initiative,"' Schumer said. 'We are weeks from the midterms. Americans should not have to fear being targeted by their own government because of how they're registered to vote.'

Details From The Whistleblower And The Letter

Schumer and Padilla outlined the allegations in a letter sent Sunday to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, demanding an explanation and an immediate halt to the reported activities. According to the senators' account of the whistleblower's claims, officers assigned to what the letter calls the 'Unlawful Voter Initiative' were told to access voter systems even when that access would violate state rules and, in some cases, to 'hunt for, or worse, manufacture evidence of voter fraud.'

Padilla said the whistleblower reported instances in which officers who questioned the legality of orders were told to proceed anyway and were allegedly promised by superiors that they would not be held 'personally liable.' Padilla said those reassurances raised further concerns: 'If this effort is truly legal, then why does DHS leadership have to promise its officers that they're not going to be held liable? That says a lot.'

Luke Barr/ABC News - PHOTO: A Department of Homeland Security seal on a podium at Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) headquarters, Mar. 13, 2024.

DHS Response And Context

Earlier this month, multiple sources familiar with DHS activity told ABC News that Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the department's investigative arm, has been stepping up efforts to identify alleged voter fraud nationwide, and that investigators from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) had been asked to help.

In response to the whistleblower claims, DHS provided a statement to ABC News saying the agency had accessed publicly available voter-roll data and cross-referenced it with immigration records: 'It's not rocket science; it's an easy step to secure our elections,' the statement said. The department also said HSI is investigating alleged election fraud and asserted that noncitizen voting does occur in U.S. elections.

Why Lawmakers Say It Matters

The senators warned the reported operation could be used to intimidate voters, disenfranchise eligible Americans, or manufacture grounds to challenge election outcomes. They asked DHS to clarify the scope and legality of the initiative and to stop any activity that would involve misrepresenting identities or violating state access rules to obtain voter information.

What Happens Next: Schumer and Padilla have demanded answers from Secretary Mullin. DHS has defended its use of publicly available data but has not addressed the whistleblower's specific allegations publicly beyond its statement to ABC News.