New York among states targeted in voter fraud investigation

The Trump administration is ramping up an investigation into alleged noncitizen voter fraud in New York and other states, weeks before the midterm elections.

The investigation, first reported by CNN, comes just days before early voting is set to begin in some states.

The Department of Homeland Security is increasing investigative resources to examine allegations of noncitizens appearing on voter rolls, an issue President Donald Trump has repeatedly raised.

“Hundreds of thousands of non-citizens and dead people are listed as active on the voter rolls,” Trump said in July.

A DHS spokesperson told Spectrum that the agency is investigating potential noncitizen voter fraud and warned undocumented immigrants that “we will find you.”

The spokesperson also said DHS has identified more than 24,000 cases of potential non-U.S. citizens on voter rolls since April 2025.

Rep. Joe Morelle, a Democrat from Rochester and the top Democrat on the House Administration Committee, said there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in U.S. elections.

“The problem is the Trump administration wants to create chaos,” Morelle said.

Morelle accused the administration of trying to undermine confidence in the country’s elections.

“I think the president wants to disrupt elections not only because he’s afraid of the verdict of the American people, but because I think he wants to say after the elections that if his party loses, he’s going to look to and say, see, I told you they weren’t legitimate elections,” Morelle said.

Morelle leads Democratic election security efforts in the House. He told Spectrum he has identified more than 150 potential threats to U.S. elections, conducted tabletop exercises and held what he described as shadow hearings with election officials around the country.

“Leader Jeffries has essentially charged me with having the most significant election protection program in American history,” Morelle said.

Morelle said his efforts will include working with lawmakers, civil society groups and nonprofit organizations to challenge what he characterizes as efforts to undermine elections.

“We will continue to coordinate with people who will bring lawsuits against the federal government. We’ll continue to work with civil society groups and not for profit groups who care about the democracy,” Morelle said.

The Trump administration and New York state officials have frequently clashed over immigration policy.

DHS recently held a news conference in New York City about Operation Rotten Apple, an immigration enforcement initiative focused on the city.