Daniel Wolfram
Critics and civil rights advocates blast the door-to-door sweep as blatant intimidation, coming just weeks before the midterm election.
Federal agents are now showing up at people’s homes, asking residents about their immigration status and whether or not they are allowed to vote in the upcoming election.
The agency claims that up to 250,000 noncitizens could be illegally registered to vote. Independent election experts strongly dispute that estimate.
In reality, Justice Department figures show that only 156 people have faced voter fraud charges during the Trump administration, out of 227 million registered voters nationwide.
Federal agents at the door
Civil rights advocates argue the Trump administration has crossed a line. Jessica Marsden, a lawyer with Protect Democracy, warned that the tactics intimidate ordinary people.
“What we’re seeing now is the federal government is inserting itself into the state process for verifying their voter rolls in an unprecedented way,” Marsden told CBS News.
The campaign has already led to arrests. In California, federal agents recently detained more than 20 green card holders on illegal voting charges, the Justice Department announced.
A new mission
During that sweep, dozens of officers surrounded the house of a 72-year-old man from Belize. He was arrested in his pajamas. The government claims he voted illegally in four previous elections.
Hundreds of investigators were pulled off major cases involving drug smuggling and child exploitation, CBS News found. An internal directive first reported by CNN revealed that field checks were launched across six states.
For experts, the push is unprecedented. “In my 23 years with HSI, I never engaged in or was aware of any incident or initiative that sent Special Agents to private residences to verify the eligibility of voters,” former agent Eric Balliet said.
Homeland Security defended the checks as essential. A department spokesperson said, “Under President Trump, HSI is committed to restoring integrity to our election systems and ensuring that American citizens and only American citizens are electing American leaders.”
