The New York Times reported that Nevada election officials could not confirm any noncitizens among 185 names provided by DHS, contradicting claims from President Donald Trump and DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin. Nevada's deputy attorney general said state records show those 185 individuals are citizens and that DHS supplied no substantive evidence. The findings are tied to broader, disputed assertions that about 250,000 noncitizens appear on voter rolls across four states. The dispute underscores the need for transparent data verification between federal and state authorities.
NYT Report: Nevada Finds No Noncitizens Among DHS’s 185 Names, Undermining Trump and DHS Claims
Nevada election officials told The New York Times they could not verify a single noncitizen among 185 names the Department of Homeland Security provided, delivering a sharp rebuke to assertions from President Donald Trump and DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin that noncitizen voting is widespread.
The state review, detailed in the Times report, found that all 185 people flagged by DHS appear in Nevada records as U.S. citizens. Nevada officials say DHS did not provide substantive evidence to support its classification of those names as noncitizens.
Background
Those findings are part of a larger, contested claim from administration officials that roughly 250,000 noncitizens appear on voter rolls across Nevada, California, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. In July, Secretary Mullin said 15,903 Nevada registrants were noncitizens; DHS later told Nevada officials it had "confirmed 185 are not U.S. Citizens" after reviewing a subset of nearly 16,000 names.
"As for the 185 individuals, our records indicate that they were citizens. You have provided nothing of substance to suggest otherwise," wrote Greg D. Ott, Nevada's deputy attorney general, in a letter obtained by The New York Times.
The exchange highlights a tense dispute between state election authorities and federal officials over the scope and accuracy of alleged noncitizen registrations. State officials say the Nevada review exposes problems in DHS's methodology or data matching; DHS officials maintain their review identified potential noncitizen registrants that warrant further investigation.
Why It Matters
The disagreement touches on broader debates over election integrity, the accuracy of voter rolls, and how federal and state authorities should share and verify sensitive voter data. Independent verification and transparent sharing of evidence are central to resolving conflicts like this one and maintaining public confidence in the electoral process.
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