DHS’s Mullin warns people who illegally vote will be hunted down

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin is warning noncitizens not to vote in the midterms, saying the department will “hunt down” any who cast ballots.

“If you vote illegally in this country, and you are NOT eligible to vote, @DHSgov will find you, hunt you down, and you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” Mullin wrote on the social platform X . “Only American citizens should be deciding American elections.”

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) shared a similar message on social media, writing, “There will be no escape.”

It is illegal for noncitizens to cast ballots in federal elections, though some localities and states allow noncitizens to vote in local races.

The Trump administration has made a forceful effort to remove noncitizens from voter rolls in the midterms, sending threatening letters to election officials and even taking some to court over a refusal to turn over their voter roll information.

The Department of Justice accused California of having more than 20,000 “likely noncitizens” on its voter rolls, a claim that has been disputed by outside analyses. A federal judge ruled the Trump administration had to stop threatening California election officials with criminal prosecution.

The DHS has repeatedly claimed that states, mainly Democratic ones, have thousands of noncitizens on their voter rolls. But there is no federal database containing a list of every U.S. citizen, and records can be inaccurate or out of date.

The New York Times reported in September that the DHS accused Nevada of having nearly 16,000 possible noncitizens on its voter rolls, a number that was revised down to 185. When Nevada officials investigated, they found that all 185 were U.S. citizens.

Multiple studies have found that noncitizen voting is not widespread in U.S. elections.

New Jersey did identify instances of noncitizen voting earlier this year, which was due to a software glitch. More than 6,000 were erroneously registered, but fewer than 400 actually cast ballots. The Garden State addressed the error once Gov. Mikie Sherrill (D) was notified, the governor said.

Some Democrats and Trump critics hit back at ICE and the DHS for their posts warning noncitizens Tuesday. California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) quipped that he would prosecute ICE if the agency showed up to the polls.

“If YOU show up to the polls illegally, we will find you. We will track you down, arrest you, and prosecute you,” Newsom wrote back on X, matching the language ICE used. “There will be no escape.”

“Watch out!! ICE is gonna deport the literally dozens of people who do this,” former Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) replied on X.

The final voting of the midterms is underway, and the first polls close at 6 p.m. EST.