18 Senators seek “thorough and objective” investigation into new whistleblower disclosure revealing DHS officers were directed to illegally access sensitive voter data and create law enforcement records based on unreliable data compiled with “supplemental magic”
WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration with jurisdiction over federal elections and Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee’s Immigration Subcommittee, and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) led 16 members of the Senate Democratic Caucus to demand the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) immediately open an independent investigation into the wrongdoings detailed in a recent whistleblower’s disclosure. The disclosure alleges that DHS is directing U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Fraud Detection and National Security (FDNS) officers to impersonate voters in violation of state laws to access online voter data as a part of its “Unlawful Voter Initiative,” an effort aimed at manufacturing evidence for President Trump’s unfounded claims of widespread voter fraud.
“The DHS Office of Inspector General’s mission is ‘[t]o provide independent oversight and promote excellence, integrity, and accountability within DHS,’” wrote the Senators. “We urge you to carry out that mission by immediately opening an independent investigation into the alleged wrongdoings detailed in the whistleblower’s claims, which describe agency leadership directing officers to violate the law and DHS standards of integrity.”
The Senators highlighted the whistleblower’s allegations and potential impacts on eligible voters and other lawfully present noncitizens, such as directing USCIS personnel to make false certifications to access sensitive voter information, create erroneous federal law enforcement records known as “TECS records,” require reckless performance quotas of reviewing 40 subjects per day, and rely on unreliable source data compiled with “supplemental magic.”
In addition to opening an investigation, the Senators urged the OIG to take immediate action to prevent additional wrongdoing, writing: “In addition to your investigation, please use every tool at your disposal, including a management alert, to address this immediately and prevent any additional wrongdoing or misuse of agency personnel and resources while the investigation is ongoing.”
“Given the time-sensitive nature of these claims, and the potential for misuse of this information for political purposes in the upcoming 2026 midterm elections, please provide weekly updates on the status of your investigation to the leadership of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, and Senate Committee on the Judiciary,” the Senators concluded. “Finally, recognizing the special provisions concerning the DHS Secretary’s authority over certain DHS OIG audits and investigations, if the Secretary refuses to cooperate with an audit or investigation, please notify us immediately.”
The DHS whistleblower disclosure has also prompted outside watchdog organizations to conduct their own investigations into the Trump Administration’s wrongdoings, including an investigation launched by American Oversight to obtain DHS and USCIS records under the Freedom of Information Act regarding the “Unlawful Voter Initiative” and alleged DHS directives to violate state laws.
“The Trump Administration needs to come clean about the apparently rampant violations of the law by DHS and USCIS in their quest for Americans’ sensitive personal voter information, and I welcome outside watchdogs standing up to fight for the public’s right to know about this so-called ‘Unlawful Voter Initiative,’” said Senator Padilla. “According to the brave federal whistleblower who came forward this week, agency leaders are directing officers to violate laws and use ‘magic’ data, all in service of Donald Trump’s attempts to prove his baseless election fraud conspiracy theories. It’s an abuse of power that cries out for more transparency, and the Administration must stop this unlawful and reckless effort, respond to questions from Congress, and provide information to the public, as the law requires.”
“The Trump administration is working overtime to silence the voices of American voters – and Democrats are working even harder to protect our nation’s elections. There must be an immediate and thorough investigation following this brave whistleblower’s report about the lawlessness at DHS,” said Leader Schumer. “As costs skyrocket, and chaos reigns across the country, Trump is doing everything in his power to avoid accountability. But Americans are watching, they are angry, and they are ready to make their voices heard in November. In the United States, voters get to pick the President – not the other way around.”
In addition to Padilla and Schumer, the letter was signed by Senators Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Timothy Kaine (D-Va.), Angus King (I-Maine), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Mark Warner (D-Va.), Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).
As Ranking Member of the Senate Rules Committee and California’s former Secretary of State and chief election officer, Padilla has championed election security and voting rights. Following receipt of the whistleblower’s disclosure, Padilla and Schumer demanded DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin and USCIS Director Joseph B. Edlow immediately halt the “Unlawful Voter Initiative” and provide an urgent report to Congress on its activities. Padilla also called for immediate action and transparency from the Trump Administration following the bombshell whistleblower disclosure and demanded it stop the sham “Unlawful Voter Initiative.” Last month, Padilla led 27 of his Senate colleagues in demanding the Trump Administration stop their illegal voter roll purges before election day. In June, Padilla joined Schumer in launching the first-ever Senate Election Observer Program to protect the 2026 midterms and maintain election integrity nationwide. The Task Force will continue meeting over the coming months to ensure that every American has fair access to the ballot box this November.
Full letter is available here and below:
Dear Inspector General Cuffari:
On September 8, 2026, a protected whistleblower made the attached disclosure to the Senate (the “Disclosure”) that reveals serious allegations of illegal and inappropriate activities within the Department of Homeland Security’s (“DHS” or “the Department”) U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”) Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate (“FDNS”).
The attached Disclosure confirms that the Department and USCIS leadership have abruptly diverted FDNS from its mission and directed personnel to an “Unlawful Voter Initiative” using highly questionable data and methods to identify purported unlawful voters. DHS and USCIS training materials admit these investigations will include U.S. citizens, some of whom will have federal law enforcement records created about them based on unreliable data and rushed reviews by officers held to quotas. This initiative is placing FDNS employees in an impossible position. They are being directed to take actions in the weeks before the election that this whistleblower believes are against the law and Department policy, and which will harm Americans.
The whistleblower’s Disclosure includes compelling evidence of wrongdoing by agency leadership including:
(1) USCIS personnel have been directed to access sensitive voter information in violation of state laws prohibiting unauthorized access to individual voter records, including to make false certifications and affirmations;
(2) USCIS personnel are under significant pressure from headquarters to enter federal
TECS records about individuals that have a high risk of being false, potentially harming thousands of people in likely violation of federal privacy requirements;
(3) Agency leadership is imposing reckless quotas that demand USCIS personnel investigate 40 subjects per day with minimal training, a rate of roughly 12 minutes per subject, with leadership tracking agent output in an attempt to complete this rushed investigation by September 12; and
(4) DHS is providing USCIS personnel with DHS data of dubious origin, including voter data, which they are required to accept as accurate despite the admission that the data has been augmented with “supplemental magic.”
The whistleblower’s Disclosure states that rank-and-file USCIS employees have serious concerns with the actions they have been directed to perform as part of the “Unlawful Voter Initiative.” When the whistleblower and others raised concerns about potential violations of state law, they were advised that they would not be held “personally liable”, implying an awareness of potential illegality by agency leadership. All these claims require a thorough and objective investigation, including whether authority exists to collect and use all relevant data, free of interference by agency leadership.
This initiative plainly appears to be a political exercise that poses risks to national security. Over the past several weeks, CNN, The New York Times, The Washington Post, ProPublica, and other outlets have reported on the intense White House pressure on DHS and other agencies to back up the President’s baseless claims of widespread election fraud. According to these reports, former USCIS officials are concerned that “work screening immigration applications for false information and possible security threats has effectively ground to a halt.”
Concerningly, the launch of the “Unlawful Voter Initiative” also occurred immediately following an FDNS reorganization that may have made these highly questionable practices easier to implement quickly across the agency. Your investigation should also examine whether this reorganization contributed to the management failures involved in this initiative.
The DHS Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) mission is “to provide independent oversight and promote excellence, integrity, and accountability within DHS.” We urge you to carry out that mission by immediately opening an independent investigation into the alleged wrongdoings detailed in the whistleblower’s claims, which describe agency leadership directing officers to violate the law and DHS standards of integrity. Failure to do so risks compounding the serious concerns about these activities within the FDNS workforce and the lack of integrity of FDNS, USCIS, and DHS leadership. In addition to your investigation, please use every tool at your disposal, including a management alert, to address this immediately and prevent any additional wrongdoing or misuse of agency personnel and resources while the investigation is ongoing.
Given the time-sensitive nature of these claims, and the potential for misuse of this information for political purposes in the upcoming 2026 midterm elections, please provide weekly updates on the status of your investigation to the leadership of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, and Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Finally, recognizing the special provisions concerning the DHS Secretary’s authority over certain DHS OIG audits and investigations, if the Secretary refuses to cooperate with an audit or investigation, please notify us immediately.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
Sincerely,