Trump Cites Census Report Claiming 24,000 Noncitizen Votes in 2020

President Donald Trump announced that a U.S. Census Bureau analysis identified more than 24,000 noncitizens who voted illegally in the 2020 general election. The seven-page, unauthored report matched 128 million voter records from the Virginia-based firm Data-Clear against federal immigration and Social Security data. Trump used the findings to reiterate claims that he won the 2020 election and to urge Congress to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act, which would require physical proof of citizenship for registration.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick stated that the remaining 32 million records yet to be analyzed could reveal tens of thousands of additional illegal voters. However, the report has faced intense criticism from former Census Bureau officials and statisticians. Critics argue the methodology is flawed due to a lack of unique identifiers and transparency, suggesting the findings likely result from matching errors. Reports indicate the analysis was conducted by affiliates of the America First Policy Institute rather than career civil servants.

State officials in Georgia and Nevada have questioned the accuracy of the data, with Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger requesting the underlying records to investigate claims of 400 noncitizen voters in his state. Analysts note that the 24,000 figure represents less than 0.02% of total ballots and would not have altered the outcome of any 2020 presidential contest.

Parallel to this report, the administration deployed Homeland Security Investigations in a nationwide campaign to prosecute noncitizen voters. Internal documents reveal that between January 2025 and May 2026, the effort resulted in only 41 charges out of more than 150 million total voters, despite warnings from the Justice Department regarding the legality of the data transfers.