DHS Corrects Missidentification: 185 Nevada Voter Roll Identifications Confirmed as Citizens
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has revised its position, stating after a comprehensive review that the initial estimate of 185 individuals initially placed on Nevada’s voter rolls as non‑citizens was inaccurate. The correction addresses growing apprehension over the questionable methods the agency used to amplify fears of non‑citizen voting ahead of the midterm elections.
A July speech by former President Donald Trump claimed DHS had located a total of up to 278,000 foreign‑born residents across Nevada, California, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Subsequent state responses narrowed that figure, suggesting the Nevada component could be no higher than roughly 16,000 such individuals.
In August, DHS leadership informed staff in the Nevada Secretary of State’s office that the cross‑check confirmed that none of the 185 flagged persons were non‑citizens. Officials emphasized that further analysis of over 14,000 remaining records would be required.
“Regarding the 185 individuals, our records indicate they were citizens. You have provided insufficient evidence to contest this finding,” wrote Deputy Attorney General Greg Ott in an email obtained through a Freedom of Information request. The statement was first reported by The New York Times and Nevada Independent.
On Friday, a DHS spokesperson refused to confirm whether the agency still considered the 185 individuals as non‑citizens. The response clarified that the nation “is delivering a service to Nevada’s citizens.”
Ott criticized DHS for lacking transparency about the procedures used to flag alleged non‑citizens and for failing to supply sufficient data. When Nevada officials demanded first names, last names, addresses and other details associated with the matches, the department replied that it would share only the voter‑ID numbers available.
In Nevada, a voter registration number can correspond to multiple individuals. Following the shift to a single statewide system, identifiers may reflect historical records that are incomplete or contain discrepancies between former county‑level systems and the new state database. Consequently, a matching number confirms only that the number exists in—or once existed in—a voter registration file, not that the person is a U.S. citizen.
“Vetbeat” also reported earlier this month that election officials in Pennsylvania have pushed DHS for information on the basis for claiming up to 14,576 non‑citizens on its rolls. In an August letter obtained by the outlet, Pennsylvania’s chief election official stated DHS did not have “high confidence” in that figure.
