The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has investigated the potential use of a Palantir-supported tool to track individuals suspected of voting illegally, according to documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request. The documents, published by the legal advocacy group Democracy Forward, indicate that DHS officials have looked into over 150 nonprofit organizations for evidence of assisting noncitizens in registering to vote. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is reportedly taking a leading role in federal voter fraud investigations.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), a division of ICE, is developing tools through its Innovation Lab (iLab) to enhance the investigation of voter fraud. Chinmayi Sharma, an associate professor at Fordham Law School, noted that the goal is to create a system that effectively identifies individuals for investigation. The iLab's focus includes processing Department of Justice voting rolls and data from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, while criminal histories are currently excluded.
An email from May 26 stated that coordination with iLab is ongoing, particularly regarding the integration of processed voter roll data into the Enhanced Leads Identification & Targeting for Enforcement (ELITE) system, which aims to improve lead management and investigative tracking.
The existence of ELITE was first reported in January, revealing that ICE agents can use the tool to create maps of potential deportation targets and assess their addresses. A Palantir spokesperson confirmed that voter roll data has not yet been integrated into ELITE.
Further emails indicated that several states, including Connecticut, Georgia, and Michigan, had been enriched by iLab and were pending entry into ELITE. However, the specifics of what was enriched remain unclear. A DHS official mentioned that updates would be communicated to the White House.
ICE has not disclosed details regarding its investigative methods, but a spokesperson stated that HSI is actively investigating election fraud. The White House did not comment on the potential use of ELITE for tracking noncitizen voters.
Claims regarding noncitizen voting impacting U.S. elections have been emphasized by the Trump administration, despite evidence suggesting that such voting is rare. Under Secretary Markwayne Mullin has led efforts to identify noncitizen voters, but only a few cases have been found. Recently, the Justice Department announced charges in 16 cases involving foreign nationals related to voting crimes, all of whom were lawful permanent residents. A whistleblower also alleged that federal employees may have violated the law by searching state websites for illegally registered voters.
The May 26 email described a strategic direction emphasizing a network-based investigative approach, focusing on organizational analysis rather than individual leads. Sharma noted that the development of tools for voter fraud investigations within DHS suggests a long-term strategy, leveraging existing authorities and infrastructure.