Leading prosecutors in Texas have opened a significant investigation into the potential voter fraud involving non-citizens residing in the state.
They suspect that over 100 non-citizens might have cast more than 200 ballots during the 2020 and 2022 elections, as noted in a statement from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. This inquiry is part of a broader examination by the Attorney General’s Office looking into possible non-citizen voting for the upcoming 2024 elections, which Paxton had previously suggested could happen under the Trump administration.
“Foreigners shouldn’t be allowed to sway elections in Texas by voting illegally and escaping accountability,” Paxton remarked, as he pursues a Senate seat. “I will put an end to this.” He also added that President Trump’s actions to safeguard the voting process would assist Texas in holding non-citizens responsible for illegal voting.
Most of the questionable ballots were reportedly cast in Harris County, but the investigation also extends to potential non-citizen voting in Cameron, Eastland, and Guadalupe counties, as per the Texas Secretary of State.
This announcement continues the efforts of Republican prosecutors aiming to eliminate foreign involvement in U.S. elections. Earlier in June, Paxton initiated an inquiry into 33 potential non-citizens thought to have voted in the 2024 elections after a referral from the Texas Secretary of State. Officials attribute these developments to actions taken under the Trump administration, which facilitated access to federal databases designed to determine citizenship or immigration status.
After Trump returned to power, Texas officials gained access to the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database to check qualifications. The database is maintained by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to allow government agencies to confirm applicants’ immigration status.
According to Paxton, the state gained access to this crucial database following an executive order signed by Trump that required the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees USCIS, to provide it to all states at no cost.
“Accessing this database was a pivotal moment,” Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson commented. “It allowed us to flag individuals who shouldn’t have voted in the last election and confirm the naturalization of many others.”
Since his term began, the Republican president has focused on reforms aimed at excluding non-citizen voting in U.S. elections. In March, he signed an executive order intended to safeguard the integrity of American elections against fraud and foreign interference.
Additionally, USCIS has recently formed a partnership with the Social Security Administration to create a “single, reliable source of information for assessing immigration status and U.S. citizenship,” according to a memo obtained by the Daily Caller News Foundation.
The Trump administration also continued to push for measures to eliminate non-citizen voters, as evidenced by federal prosecutors suing Orange County, California, for allegedly failing to provide documentation that election officials were actively removing non-citizens from voter rolls. Likewise, a suit was filed against North Carolina for not maintaining a voter registration list in accordance with federal law.
