Investigators from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have acquired individual voter files from local election officials in two counties, as indicated by emails shared with Axios. This action is part of a broader initiative, supported by President Trump, to address concerns about noncitizen voting in U.S. elections.
In May, agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) requested specific voter files from county election officials in Webb County, Texas. Additionally, a separate request was made in November for voter registration information in Forsyth County, North Carolina. The emails reveal that these voter files were provided to HSI.
The HSI's fraud task force has previously investigated voter fraud, although it has not been a primary focus of their operations. A request from an HSI criminal analyst in April sought guidance on the necessary information and subpoenas required to gather voter data.
Voter files typically include registration history, addresses, dates of birth, driver's license numbers, and voting history. Jose Castillo, the election administrator for Webb County, noted that he had not previously received such requests and expressed concerns about the allocation of resources for this purpose. He mentioned that in four years, only two cases of noncitizen voting had been identified out of over 150,000 voters.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated that HSI is committed to investigating election fraud and ensuring that only U.S. citizens participate in elections. Heather Honey, a DHS official involved in election integrity, has also communicated with Texas election officials regarding collaboration on election-related goals.
In March 2025, President Trump signed an executive order emphasizing the need to protect elections and enforce laws against noncitizen registration. The DHS has been tasked with investigating alleged voter fraud and promoting the use of the SAVE database to verify the citizenship status of individuals on voter rolls.