Archive · 22 Sep 2026
Senators Seek California Probe of DHS Voter Searches
Two U.S. senators want California to investigate a program run by immigration officials.
A whistleblower says officers used people’s information to enter a state voter website.
The officers were allegedly looking for people they thought had voted illegally.
The information may have included U.S. citizens and naturalized Americans.
The whistleblower also said the data may not have been reliable.
Officers reportedly had to examine 40 people each day.
The senators worry that innocent people could receive incorrect federal law-enforcement records.
They want California to check whether state laws were broken and whether voters’ personal information was protected.
The claims have not been proven, so an investigation would be needed to determine what happened.
Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff asked California Attorney General Rob Bonta to investigate alleged voter-record searches by immigration officers.
The allegations involve USCIS’s “Unlawful Voter Initiative” and claims that officers impersonated voters to access California records.
A whistleblower alleged officers examined thousands of residents, including potentially naturalized citizens, using data of uncertain origin.
Officers were reportedly expected to investigate 40 people daily and create federal records even when they questioned the information.
The senators said the inquiry should determine whether California privacy and voter-information laws were violated.
- Who
- Democratic Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff asked California Attorney General Rob Bonta to investigate allegations involving U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officers.
- What
- The senators seek a review of alleged impersonation of voters, access to sensitive voter data, and creation of federal records during the “Unlawful Voter Initiative.”
- When
- The request was made before the 2026 midterm elections; the articles do not give an exact date.
- Where
- California’s voter-registration website and federal agencies involved in the initiative.
- Why
- The senators want to determine whether California privacy and voter-information laws were violated and protect residents’ personal information.
- Requested investigator
- California Attorney General Rob Bonta
- Senators involved
- Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff
- Federal initiative
- USCIS’s “Unlawful Voter Initiative”
- Reported daily quota
- 40 people per officer
- Potential records system
- The federal law-enforcement system TECS
- Alleged data issue
- The whistleblower described the underlying information as uncertain or supplemented through “supplemental magic.”
- Broader oversight
- Democratic senators also requested an independent investigation by the DHS inspector general.