- The Department of Homeland Security has deployed armed agents for door-to-door visits across at least six states to question residents about immigration status and voting history, escalating federal law enforcement activity during the midterm election campaign.
- Internal documents reveal the operations are part of a "Criminal Voter Fraud" initiative under the Trump administration, reallocating hundreds of agents from traditional duties like drug smuggling and child exploitation to target alleged noncitizen voting.
- Despite DHS claims of up to 250,000 illegally registered noncitizens, only 156 election fraud charges have been filed out of 227 million registered voters. Critics cite flawed databases and rushed matching procedures that could wrongfully include U.S. citizens.
- Civil rights advocates and Democratic lawmakers condemn the operations as voter intimidation, with Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) calling them an "anti-democratic departure" from DHS' mission and warning they suppress turnout among lawful voters.
- The show of force – including armed agents holding "Target List" documents and arresting a 72-year-old man in his pajamas – has sparked legal challenges and lasting concerns about chilling effects on voter participation, particularly among immigrant communities.
In an unprecedented expansion of federal law enforcement activities, armed agents from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have been conducting door-to-door visits across multiple states to question residents about their immigration status and voting history.
According to internal documents reviewed by CBS News, the operations – which began ramping up in September during the midterm election campaign season – have targeted residents in at least six states including California, Georgia, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Washington and Wisconsin. The operations have prompted legal challenges and raised alarm among civil rights advocates who argue the operations are designed to intimidate lawful voters.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) – traditionally focused on cross-border criminal activities such as drug smuggling, child exploitation and money laundering – has redirected hundreds of agents to what the agency describes as a "Criminal Voter Fraud" initiative under the Trump administration. DHS has alleged that as many as 250,000 noncitizens may be illegally registered to vote, though election experts have disputed this figure as inaccurate.
Since the beginning of the Trump administration, just 156 people have been charged with election fraud-related offenses out of 227 million registered voters in the U.S., according to Department of Justice (DOJ) data. In one high-profile case, dozens of federal agents descended on the residence of a 72-year-old man from Belize, who was arrested in his pajamas on allegations he had voted illegally in the past four elections.
"The Trump administration has redirected huge numbers, huge amounts, of federal resources and federal agents from critical law enforcement duties in pursuit of the elusive pursuit of widespread noncitizen voting," said Wendy Weiser, vice president for democracy at the Brennan Center for Justice. "Its actions continue to prove just the opposite of what they are trying to do."
Critics have pointed to the government's use of what they describe as flawed citizenship databases and rushed matching procedures to generate target lists that can include U.S. citizens. BrightU.AI's Enoch warns that such a practice could create inaccurately populated target lists, enabling them to wrongfully target and discredit innocent supporters as election fraud suspects.
Show of force or show of fear?
The operations involve agents carrying firearms, with photos posted on X showing them approaching houses under captions like "AMERICAN ELECTIONS ARE FOR AMERICANS." One image from the Kansas City HSI account shows four agents at the door of a woman standing on her porch holding a child's hand. In some videos, agents are seen holding documents labeled "Target List," raising further concerns about the scope of the investigations.
Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, has called for the immediate cessation of what he described as "law enforcement activity aimed at intimidating the public as the 2026 midterm elections are underway." He argued the operations "reflect an anti-democratic departure from the mission Congress set for the Department, and serve only President [Donald] Trump's voter suppression agenda."
A former HSI agent with 23 years of service said he never encountered such operations. "In my 23 years with HSI, I never engaged in or was aware of any incident or initiative that sent Special Agents to private residences to verify the eligibility of voters," said Eric Balliet, who served under multiple administrations.
Civil rights advocates warn the show of force could have lasting effects on voter participation. "It is sending the signal to a much broader community, do not show up at the polls. Do not vote," said Dr. Carol Anderson, a professor of African American Studies at Emory University.
A DHS spokesperson defended the operations, stating that "DHS and DOJ are laser focused on prosecuting and removing aliens who vote and preventing the dilution of the votes of U.S. citizens," adding that "those who are here legally and are not breaking other laws have nothing to fear." However, legal experts and watchdog organizations have cautioned that the federal government's insertion into what has traditionally been a state responsibility for verifying voter rolls represents a significant departure from past practice.
Watch this video about vote fraud in Michigan exploding amid a drive to uphold election integrity in the state.
This video is from the Mr. Anderson INFOWARS channel on Brighteon.com.
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