DHS says it is focused on removing noncitizens who vote and that only Americans should elect American leaders
U.S. Department of Homeland SecurityDHS spokesperson, in a statement to Fox News Digital
Responding to the injunction, a DHS spokesperson says the department is focused on identifying, prosecuting and removing noncitizens who vote and dilute the votes of U.S. citizens, and that only Americans should elect American leaders.
“DHS is laser focused on identifying, prosecuting, and removing aliens who vote and dilute the votes of U.S. citizens. ONLY Americans should elect American leaders”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Judge halts DHS voter-eligibility field interviews of likely citizens in nine states; DHS says it pursues noncitizens who vote
On October 21, 2026, U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín granted a preliminary injunction barring the Department of Homeland Security from election-related field operations and interviews in California, Connecticut, Georgia, Missouri, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington and Wisconsin that involve people agents know or should suspect are U.S. citizens. The order runs until polls close on November 3. National Nurses United and the California Nurses Association, which sued with San Francisco, Santa Clara County and Voto Latino Foundation, say the investigations intimidate voters. DHS says it is focused on removing noncitizens who vote and has no plans to question or investigate people it believes are citizens.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
Fox News Digital report on the October 21 injunction. It quotes the order and a DHS spokesperson's statement to Fox News Digital, and reports that government lawyers conceded some U.S. citizens may have been reviewed.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
In its October 22 report on the injunction, Fox News Digital says the administration maintains that noncitizen voting in federal elections is a crime and that DHS has statutory authority to investigate suspected violations.
After the quotation
The spokesperson added: "We have no plans to question or investigate people we believe to be U.S. citizens."
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Relative to DHS's election-related field investigations in the nine states, the spokesperson defends the effort as one aimed at noncitizens who vote.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- National Nurses United
More from this case
Read the full caseProtect Democracy's Beau Tremitiere says DHS built its voter lists on bad data and recklessly sent agents to people's homes
Protect Democracy
“It was clear from the start that DHS built its lists on bad data, never checked how often it was wrong, and recklessly sent agents to people’s homes weeks before an election”Read statement
National Nurses United's Puneet Maharaj says Trump cannot hold power without illegally suppressing the vote through harassment, intimidation and detention
National Nurses United
“So many people in the United States are suffering under Trump’s corrupt and cruel policies on behalf of the billionaire class that he knows cannot hold onto power in these upcoming elections without illegally suppressing our vote through outright harassment, intimidation, and even detention”Read statement
DHS tells the court it reasonably decided to use the best data it had available for its law enforcement role
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
“DHS reasonably decided to make use of the best data it had available”Read statement
Share or embed this statement
The embed keeps its attribution link to The Dispute Index. Credit the image to The Dispute Index and link to the statement page.
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- DHS says it is focused on removing noncitizens who vote and that only Americans should elect American leaders
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/7319-responding-to-the-injunction-a-dhs-spokesperson-says
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "DHS says it is focused on removing noncitizens who vote and that only Americans should elect American leaders". First published: 2026-10-30. Last updated: 2026-10-30. https://disputeindex.com/events/7319-responding-to-the-injunction-a-dhs-spokesperson-says