CBS NEWS·JULY 18, 2026·✓ MULTI-SOURCE
What to know about the Trump administration's claim that 250K non-citizens are registered to vote in 4 states - CBS News
VERIFIED FACTS
- 01Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin stated that 250,000 noncitizens were registered to vote in California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Nevada, and that an additional 28,000 noncitizens were registered in 23 other states.
- 02The Trump administration has not provided the methodology or specific details behind the figure of 250,000 noncitizen registrants in the four specified states.
- 03CBS News reported that the 250,000 estimate was based on an analysis of commercial databases.
- 04David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, stated that using commercial databases likely leads to false positives and includes eligible voters who would be protected from removal by state laws.
- 05The Center for Election Innovation and Research reported that confirmed cases of noncitizens voting are exceedingly rare and that allegations often arise from misunderstandings or fabrications about complex voter data.
- 06President Trump has signed two executive orders to tighten mail-in ballot rules and require proof of citizenship for federal voter registration, both of which have been blocked by courts.
- 07The Justice Department is suing dozens of states to compel them to hand over their voter rolls.
- 08A U.S. Election Assistance Commission survey found there were more than 211 million active registered voters in the 2024 general election.
- 09The 250,000 noncitizen registrants represent approximately 0.1% of all registered voters nationwide and 0.6% of registered voters in the four states in question.
- 10Federal law prohibits noncitizens from voting in federal elections, and no state allows noncitizens to vote in statewide contests.
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SUMMARY
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin amplified President Trump's claim that 250,000 noncitizens registered to vote in four states, a figure based on commercial database analysis that experts say likely produces false positives. While the administration seeks greater control over voter rolls through executive orders and lawsuits, independent analyses indicate that confirmed instances of noncitizen voting are rare and that the alleged number constitutes a fraction of a percent of total registered voters.
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