DHS voter probe may break state laws and wrongly implicate US citizens, whistleblower alleges

A former DHS employee has accused agency staff of misleading state databases to access voter information in ways that allegedly breach state laws, according to a report. The whistleblower's disclosure, shared by Senators Schumer and Padilla, alleges that DHS employees are instructed to obtain sensitive voter data from state databases of individuals flagged as potential "unlawful voters."

The process could lead to errors involving naturalized U.S. citizens, potentially leading to secondary customs screenings or criminal referrals to Homeland Security Investigations, the report suggests. Additionally, DHS officers are reportedly under pressure to assess and verify a person's citizenship within 12 minutes and input it into law enforcement records.

The whistleblower claims officers were directed to rely on potentially inaccurate data and received minimal training, leading to U.S. citizens being investigated without their knowledge or ability to rectify erroneous data. DHS officials have not commented on the allegations.