Donald Trump Pushes SAVE America Act to Ban Noncitizen Voting

President Donald Trump is intensifying efforts to eliminate noncitizen voting through the SAVE America Act, which would require documented proof of citizenship for voter registration. Trump has described the measure as "one of the most IMPORTANT & CONSEQUENTIAL pieces of legislation in the history of Congress." He is currently pressuring the Senate to pass the act and advocating for the U.S. Postal Service to restrict mail ballots to verified citizens.

Federal agencies are supporting these efforts with claims of widespread irregularities. The Department of Homeland Security alleged that nearly 250,000 noncitizens are registered to vote in California, Nevada, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Additionally, the Census Bureau released a report claiming 24,000 noncitizens voted in 2020, though legal experts have called the methodology flawed. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin warned in July that local officials who fail to remove noncitizens from voter rolls could face prison time.

These federal actions contrast with local initiatives. While the New York Court of Appeals ruled in 2025 that New York City's Local Law 11 allowing noncitizen municipal voting was unconstitutional, similar measures remain in place in Washington, D.C., San Francisco, and several Vermont cities. Democrats and state officials have questioned the reliability of federal data, citing reports from ProPublica and the Heritage Foundation to argue that immigrant voter fraud is nearly nonexistent.