Three states led by Republicans have gone on the offensive against the Biden administration by suing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) over access to information to verify the citizenship status of registered voters. So far, the Biden/Harris White House is stonewalling the efforts at maintaining voter integrity.
While the Biden administration is suing states and towns across the country in an effort to thwart election integrity measures ahead of the presidential election, the states of Ohio, Florida, and Texas are going on the offensive by suing DHS in an effort to gain access to a database to identify non-citizens on voter rolls.
The Department of Justice has sued both Alabama and Virginia for attempting to remove non-citizens from their voter rolls less than 90 days before the election. However, as Ohio, Florida, and Texas are maintaining their voter rolls, the states filed lawsuits against DHS to further identify and remove non-citizens from voter registration lists.
DHS refuses to cooperate
Federal law only allows U.S. citizens to vote in federal elections, which all three states noted in their lawsuits against DHS. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R) sued DHS on Thursday, alleging that the agency has stonewalled his efforts to find and remove non-citizens from his state’s voter rolls.
The lawsuit alleges that DHS refused to provide Ohio access to federal citizenship verification records to identify non-citizens on its voter rolls on at least four different occasions.
LaRose first asked DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas in July “for access to federal databases and search tools, including the Person Centric Query Service (‘PCQS’), to ensure that Ohio could verify the citizenship of specific registered voters whose citizenship may be the subject of dispute,” according to the lawsuit.
Ohio uses DHS’s Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database, which allows non-citizens to be identified by “specific immigration identification numbers (like an Alien Registration Number) that States like Ohio rarely possess,” the lawsuit states.
However, “PCQS draws from a much broader array of identification information, making it far easier for State officials to confirm citizenship status without having to use one of those unique immigration identifiers that States rarely possess,” the lawsuit reads.
“I swore an oath to uphold our state constitution, and that document clearly requires that only United States citizens can participate in Ohio elections,” LaRose said in a statement on Thursday. “The Biden-Harris Administration is engaging in obstruction and outright abuse of power to prevent us from removing noncitizens from our voter rolls. I take my duty seriously, so if they want a fight over the integrity of our elections, they’ve got it.”
“While the administration is blocking access to these records, the Department of Justice is suing or threatening to sue multiple states, including Ohio, who are trying to enforce their citizenship voting requirements,” he added. “It’s hardly a coincidence. The same administration that’s presided over the most reckless, porous immigration policy in our country’s history is also intentionally blocking states from protecting the integrity of their elections.”
In September, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, sent a letter to Mayorkas demanding information about why the DHS had not complied with LaRose’s requests to get federal citizenship information.
Earlier this month, sixteen attorneys general, led by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost (R) and South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson (R), called on Mayorkas to provide federal citizenship verification records for voter registration verification.
“[T]he Department of Homeland Security is required to coordinate with States to verify voter registration information upon request,” the letter reads. “This federal-state cooperation is mandatory—not optional.”
Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming joined the letter.
Ohio has identified and indicted non-citizen voters in recent months. Last week, six of the nearly 140 people referred to by LaRose for illegal voting were indicted for voter fraud.
Five of the indictments involved legal U.S. permanent residents without citizenship. The sixth involved a non-citizen who was accused of voting in 2014, 2016, and 2018. Only two of the indictments involved the 2020 election.
In May, LaRose directed all 88 counties to begin a removal process for non-citizens on Ohio’s voter rolls following a review by his office’s Public Integrity Division and Office of Data Analytics and Archives. The review analyzed data from the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles and found 137 voter registrations of non-citizens who had twice confirmed their lack of U.S. citizenship. In August, LaRose directed county election officials Thursday to remove another 499 non-citizens registered to vote from the state’s voter rolls.
Prior to Ohio’s lawsuit, Florida sued DHS two days after the letter was sent from the 16 attorneys general to Mayorkas.
The state argues in the lawsuit that the Florida Department of State (FDOS) “identified a number of individuals for whom FDOS had evidence of non-citizenship but could not run a search on the SAVE database because FDOS does not have unique immigration identifiers for these individuals.”
Feds refuse to verify citizenship for voting
DHS allegedly denied Florida’s request for federal citizenship verification records, according to the lawsuit. However, the agency is “obligated” under federal law “to provide that information to Florida,” the lawsuit states.
Meanwhile, Texas sued DHS last week, after attempting to get the agency to verify the citizenship of approximately 450,000 voters.
DHS allegedly refused the state’s request for information, which Texas argues is in violation of federal law.
“The Biden-Harris Administration has refused to comply with federal law, presenting yet another obstacle for Texas to overcome in ensuring free and fair elections in our state,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) said in a statement. “The law demands that they provide important information regarding the citizenship of nearly half a million potentially ineligible voters. Since the Biden-Harris Administration has chosen to ignore the law, I will see them in court.”
DHS told Just the News on Tuesday: “DHS does not comment on pending litigation. More broadly, USCIS has engaged with Florida, Ohio, and Texas, and will continue to correspond with them directly through official channels. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) administers an online information service called SAVE that allows registered and authorized agencies, including election authorities in states, to verify certain individuals’ citizenship or immigration status.
“SAVE is the most secure and efficient way to verify an individual’s citizenship or immigration status, including for verification regarding voter registration and/or voter list maintenance. By inputting an individual’s name, unique DHS-issued immigration identifier, and birthdate, registered agencies can determine whether that person has obtained U.S. citizenship through the naturalization process or, for certain other individuals born abroad, whether USCIS has information confirming their U.S. citizenship.
“Federal law prohibits non-U.S. citizens from registering and voting in Federal elections; violators are removable and face up to five years in prison.”
In August, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) announced that more than 1 million ineligible voters have been removed from voter rolls since 2021. Of those, more than 6,500 non-citizens were found, and about 1,930 of them have voted nonetheless. The records of those 1,930 voters were being sent to Paxton’s office from the secretary of state’s office for investigation.
Reprinted with permission from Just The News by Natalia Mittelstadt.
The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of AMAC or AMAC Action.
Time to sue Biden and Harris for not upholding the constitution and a lot of Democrats
The federal government is refusing to cooperate, that is exactly what the states need to do as well. Do the states business, the federal government has no right!
Arrest and Deport ALL Illegal Aliens including those that help Illegal Aliens vote.
We are under NO OBLIGATION to obey a rogue government official or agency. That would cause us to be an accessory to a crime. THROW NONCITIZENS/ILLEGALS OFF THE ROLLS!
It’s about time the Republicans stood up and started fighting against the most corrupt criminal administration in the history of this country.
If we don’t fight back against the scummy anti American deep state, we are going to lose our freedoms.
I hope other Republican states get the intestinal fortitude to follow suit.
Harris and Biden are always eager to tip the scales their way if the law is not to their liking. The voter registration game is the new one they are using in 2024. Democrats will always play filthy dirty and this is just another instance of the corrupt up and down in that political party. It is smug arrogance and power-hungry people like Harris, Pelosi, Schumer and Obama and his cabal involved in as many dirty tricks as they can because their absurd and empty Lefti Marxist policies would not cut it for votes if they were all explained (though Harris cannot even try to explain anything for the life of her.)
It comes down to the states obeying the laws regarding voter registration laws and the Biden Harris administration breaking the laws daily to register illegal persons to register to vote. Biden Mayorkas and Harris are breaking the laws but in the mind of these people it’s Trump’s fault they are breaking the laws. And they go on sleeping good at night knowing they nailed Trump with another disaster they created. This is ruling by dictatorship. They have no policies. Harris has no policies besides feeling the vibes of Joy. Only no one can live on those vibes. Don’t give them another chance to completely destroy America and VOTE TRUMP VANCE and keep fraud elections in the past. Our very existence depends on it.
Every Democrat Secretary of State engaging, or aiding and abetting in mail in, ballot harvesting, or machine voter fraud, or allowing illegal aliens to vote in this election must be sued for everything they own. Voter fraud is a felony, not a cavalier misdemeanor. Maybe it would get democrats attention if the punishment for voter fraud would be elevated to a minimum of 25 years without pardon, or parole.
Only legal citizens get to vote. I am disheartened with our citizens that do not wish to vote. I know citizens who have never voted, what a shame. Now we have the invaders who do not know anything about our country, voting. A nation without borders ceases to be a sovereign country. We need our border and our flights from people seeking out asylum to be stopped. Our heritage and even our safety depend on this. IMO
This is exactly what Trump meant when he said: “The enemy from within.” This is yet another reason Trump should be elected. Harris will continue destroying America.
This administration is so dirty, incompetent, and corrupt! Biden, Kamala and their officials are destroying the USA. If Trump doesn’t win, we are doomed as a nation.
It seems to me that this issue must go before the Supreme Court. It is so obvious that the Federal Government is in violation of its own laws. Stop kicking the can down the road!
I live 1000 miles away from Illinois. I want to know if my dead parents and in-laws voted in this election. How does one get that information.
Seems the democrat government is as corrupt as indicated. Not America values and what more is needed?
Why do states wait so long to check register of voters. Why isn’t this done all year long?
To see this going on with the Biden/Harris Admin. and the DOJ blocking any person or party to make sure only validated U.S. Citizens are on the voter rolls and no illegal ballots to be counted….Seems like we are already in a Socialist government. This Admin. has ignored all the checks and balances that are written in The U.S.A. Constitution. They should be fired immediately or charged with treason against our Nation!
Just my thoughts as a Mother, Grandmother and Great Grand to protect and return to our basic values for my family!
This government is aiding and abetting the criminals is that not a high crime? This is treason, safety and security of the country and every citizen is their job. They’ve abdicated their duties but not positions and fat pay.
I think we’re screwed. We aren’t even allowed to insure a fair election.
ARREST BIDEN FOR FLAT OUT TREASON
Is common knowledge that if Democrats can’t cheat and lie they can never win. If they spend as much time doing productive things as they do cheating and lying, people would probably vote for them. But they don’t know how to do anything else except cheating and lie
What does it mean when the incumbent party fights against election integrity? It means the invasion was just a cheap vote-getting scam, from the people who only exist in America because of schemes and scams! Everything Democrat (leftist, Communist) is designed to destroy the American Way while keeping the infiltrators in never-ending power.
The insanity of non-citizens voting in our elections is preposterous! Yet, they’re shoving it down our throats.
Let’s elect Americans this time, and make our elections, and our government honest again!
Where the hell is SCOTUS while all of this BS is going on? They should be screaming FOUL and forcing this corrupt administration to uphold the damn constitution. Everyone of these named persons, Mayorkis, Biden, and Harris should be held in contempt, and either jailed, or watched while they recover and hand over the records these states have asked for. If nothing else these SCUMBAGS are committing TREASON!!!
Well, if the LIBERALS won’t cooperate on this, then ALL programs granting automatic voter registration need to be halted until they comply! If illegals are NOT allowed to get Drivers licenses, then that solves the problem, hmm? Oregon’s extremely liberal governor halted the motor voter registration system until an investigation (which we know how THAT will turn out) of the 1300 plus illegals found on the voter rolls. Bet there are many more.
Great reporting. Thank you.
North Carolina is hard to deal with! Democrat Governor. Mecklenburg County is swamped with Democratic legislators! Makes me sick!
Traitor Joe and Harris need to both be prosecuted their many crimes against American citizens and multiple violations of thier constitutional oaths.
Could not be more clear this administration does not want illegal aliens purged from voter roles. Those who support Harris seem uncaring regarding the sanctity of voting. They should stand up on this issue.
Good for these few states who are taking this seriously. The worst part of this administration is that they don’t follow federal laws or the constitution. Shame on them!
If the next administration is Republican, they better launch immediate efforts to close loopholes in the election process all across the country! Otherwise the left will just keep on cheating. There must be strict enforcement measures to penalize the cheaters! The voter rolls must be maintained scrupulously, the custody of votes (especially absentee ballots) must be closely scrutinized, voter ID requirements must be made federal law, voting machines must be 100% secure, the time window for voting must be reduced nationwide, poll workers and poll watchers must be carefully trained and supervised — in short, neither party should have any grounds to dispute the integrity of the process or the outcomes that result!
Biden and Harris should be locked up for Treason
Voter ID must be required. Anyone against voter ID is up to no good when it comes to the sanctity of our elections. Hell, good ol komrade kacklin’ kammy even required ID to get into one of her rallies. Isn’t that rich? ID is required to buy cigarettes, booze, access bars, and a plethora of other things, but having voter ID is an affront to American Citizens and violates their voting rights. Really??? LOL I think not.
Hold on, it’s going to be a rough week. Democrats know their power base is slipping and they know how to cheat and cheat well. If anyone thinks this will be a fair election, you must be a democRAT!
Wow, the feds obstructing a political party?!? THAT never happens—not. If Mayorkas and his minions don’t end up in jail, there is NO justice. This administration is totally on board with persecuting Americans whose opinions they don’t like. Shameful.
gee I thought there were no illegals voting!
When Trump and Vance win the White House, as an Ohioan, want Frank La Rose to replace JD Vance for Ohio’s Senator.
Hooray Yes
No shenanigans this time around from the democrat corrupted party. They have been behaving like some rogue dictatorship ever since they obtained any type of power. I don’t think the majority of Americans wants that type of leadership, after all this country is still a democracy you would like to think. Opening up the border to the world is the biggest dangerous insult you can introduce to the American people.