Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have obtained voter registration files from county election officials in Texas and North Carolina, marking a significant expansion of the Trump administration's efforts to identify potential non-citizen voting.

Two Counties Provide Records to Federal Agents

Election officials from Forsyth County, North Carolina and Webb County, Texas shared voter file information with agents from ICE's Homeland Security Investigations unit, according to documents reviewed by Axios and Democracy Docket. The disclosure represents one of the first confirmed instances of ICE directly accessing local voter data as part of the administration's broader push to find evidence of non-citizen participation in elections.

The data sharing comes as the Department of Justice finalizes arrangements to provide states' voter roll information to the Department of Homeland Security for use in immigration enforcement and criminal investigations. A DOJ lawyer confirmed the data-sharing arrangement in March but denied the department is building a national voter database.

Documented Cases Remain Rare

The Heritage Foundation, which tracks convictions and court records related to voter fraud, has documented just 100 cases of non-citizen voting between 1982 and 2025—a period spanning more than four decades of federal, state, and local elections involving hundreds of millions of votes cast.

Critics argue the low incidence of documented fraud does not justify the sweeping data collection efforts, which they say could chill voter participation among naturalized citizens and legal residents who fear government scrutiny. Watchdog organization American Oversight filed suit against ICE and DOJ in March seeking records about the sensitive voter data collection program.

A Pattern of State-Level Compliance

Texas became one of the latest states to comply with Trump administration demands for access to voter information earlier this year. A January letter from the DOJ set out three demands to states: provide the department access to voter registration files, repeal sanctuary policies, and produce records related to Medicaid and food assistance programs.

The aggressive posture has drawn criticism from state officials who view the demands as federal overreach into election administration, which has traditionally been a state and local responsibility. However, several Republican-led states have cooperated, viewing the requests as aligned with their own election integrity priorities.

Past Efforts Produced Mixed Results

Previous attempts to use federal databases to identify non-citizen voters have faced significant challenges. A joint investigation by ProPublica and the Texas Tribune documented substantial problems with a state-level effort to flag potential non-citizens on voter rolls. Some counties investigated the names provided; others did not. Some purged voters who failed to respond to letters; others purged no one.

The Texas Department of Public Safety requires proof of citizenship for residents who register through its offices, creating opportunities for database mismatches when people naturalize after obtaining a driver's license.

Election Officials Navigate Federal Pressure

Local election administrators now find themselves caught between federal enforcement priorities and their core mission of facilitating voter access. The decision to share records with ICE represents a policy choice by individual county officials, and responses have varied based on local leadership and legal counsel.

Webb County, located along the Texas-Mexico border, and Forsyth County, home to Winston-Salem, represent different demographic and political profiles—suggesting the administration's outreach extends beyond any single type of jurisdiction.

Whether the voter file access produces actionable enforcement cases or serves primarily as a deterrent remains to be seen as the program expands into the 2026 election cycle.