Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said Tuesday that New Jersey has agreed to work with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to identify noncitizens who may be registered to vote in the state.
Mullin said in a post on X that DHS has identified 35,000 people on New Jersey’s voter rolls as potential noncitizens and suggested the number could increase as the review continues.
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s office didn’t respond to an email from The Epoch Times seeking comment by publication time.
Mullin’s announcement marks a shift in the dispute between New Jersey and the federal government over access to voter information. The state had resisted the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) request for voter data.
On July 17, DHS sent a letter to New Jersey’s secretary of state, saying there were potentially 35,152 noncitizens on the state’s voter rolls, according to a preliminary review.
DHS asked New Jersey to verify the matches and confirm cooperation on election security.
In July, Sherrill disclosed a separate software error at the Motor Vehicle Commission she said occurred under the prior administration that had improperly registered roughly 6,600 noncitizens between June 2023 and June 2024; fewer than 400 of them voted.
A software provider that works with the New Jersey Motor Vehicle System has disputed the governor’s software error claim, saying that the state government was responsible for verifying voter eligibility and registering eligible voters.
Sherrill at the time refused to share personally identifying information with the federal government, citing privacy laws. She also accused the Trump administration of attempting to “weaponize elections for political gain.”
On July 29, 2026, U.S. District Judge Zahid Quraishi dismissed the DOJ lawsuit with prejudice, ruling that the Civil Rights Act of 1960 did not authorize forcing New Jersey to turn over its computerized voter list.
The DOJ appealed to the Third Circuit on Aug. 17.
Trump has made election integrity a major priority of his second administration, pushing for stricter citizenship verification and changes to voting procedures.
Trump signed executive orders in 2025 and 2026 directing federal agencies to assist states in verifying voter eligibility and citizenship.
He has also repeatedly urged Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship for federal voter registration.
In July, the president devoted a primetime address to what he said are vulnerabilities in U.S. election systems and foreign interference. He said the election system is so broken and vulnerable that “no one can possibly defend it.”
The DOJ has filed 31 lawsuits—against 30 states and Washington, D.C.—seeking complete voter registration data, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Federal courts have dismissed initial cases in 23 states, according to Democracy Docket, a progressive election law news and litigation-tracking platform, but the legal process is not over with appeals.
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