DHS Secretary Mullin defends citizenship checks ahead of 2026 midterms
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DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin defended President Donald Trump’s push for citizenship checks in federal elections on Sunday, claiming DHS is preparing for the 2026 midterms by reviewing voter information and records.
“We’re going to make sure our Constitution is upheld, which means only U.S. citizens can vote,” Mullin told Kasie Hunt on CNN’s State of the Union.
When Mullin was asked what DHS plans to do with voter information under Trump’s election order, Mullin said the administration wants to protect the “integrity of our elections.”
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin defended the Trump administration’s push for citizenship verification ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)
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Mullin also argued that the federal election cycle is of central importance to the country and that citizenship verification should not be controversial.
“What we want to make sure of is that every game really counts and we want to make sure we don’t run games like you might see in sanctuary cities,” Mullin said. “I’m not saying they are. I’m just saying, but why wouldn’t we want to make sure it’s safe?”
Hunt pressed Mullin on the scope of non-citizen voting, citing the Heritage Foundation’s 25 cases of voter fraud in which citizenship is an issue. Mullin rejected the suggestion that the number was too small to justify action.
Mullin defended President Donald Trump’s election integrity push, arguing that even one illegal vote is “one too many.” (Cliff Owen)
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“Twenty-five, 25 is too many,” Mullin said. “It’s kind of like illegal death; one person dying at the hands of someone illegal is one too many. This is all preventable. One person voting illegally is one too many.”
Mullin said DHS wanted the midterms to be seen as safe and reliable, but did not specify the states or voter rolls it was referring to when making broader claims about the records.
“If you go through some of these rolls and start cleaning them up, we’re seeing thousands of people registered to vote and sending in ballots by mail,” Mullin said.
Mullin said the federal election cycle is central to the country and argued that citizenship verification should not be controversial. (Leigh Green for Fox News Digital)
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The exchange came after Mullin faced questions during his confirmation hearing about whether ICE agents could be positioned near polling places. At the time, he questioned why critics were concerned about enforcement against immigrants at polling places.
“I don’t understand what the concern is about requiring immigration at polling places anyway,” Mullin said at a hearing with lawmakers in March. he said. “Because honestly, if you’re not a citizen, you shouldn’t be voting anyway.”
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Trump signed an executive order on March 31 directing DHS, along with the Social Security Administration, to compile and transmit state citizenship lists to election officials before federal elections. The White House said the order was intended to verify eligibility and secure procedures for mail-in and absentee voting.
