Senate Democrats are escalating their pushback against Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin over concerns about federal immigration officials interfering in elections.
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), a centrist often at odds with his party, joined 33 Senate Democratic colleagues in signing a letter directed at Mullin demanding immediate action.
Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), the ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee, served as the lead signatory on the letter addressed to the homeland security chief.
The letter was prompted by Mullin’s statement earlier this month that Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents could be deployed to polling places to “enforce specific threats.”
“We write to warn you against continued activities at the Department of Homeland Security that seek to undermine the constitutional authority of both Congress and states to administer elections and defy the directions of federal courts,” Democrats wrote.
The senators accused Mullin of making “unsubstantiated allegations of noncitizen voter fraud” that amount to a “calculated” effort “to undermine confidence in our elections” and “risks wrongly disenfranchising voters.”
“We are deeply troubled by the actions that you, DHS, and the Trump administration have taken,” they wrote, demanding Mullin cease the activities immediately.
The letter also called on DHS to provide documentation substantiating Mullin’s public claims regarding the number of noncitizens registered to vote across the country.
The senators pointed to a significant discrepancy in DHS’s own figures, noting Mullin initially claimed 16,000 noncitizens had illegally registered to vote in Nevada, a number later revised by other DHS officials down to just 185.
Lawmakers further demanded that DHS rescind new election-related conditions attached to Federal Emergency Management Agency homeland security grants and release the full grant funding to states without restriction.
The letter also called for an end to what Democrats described as an “Unlawful Voter Initiative,” which was reportedly disclosed through a recent whistleblower complaint.
Democrats demanded that Mullin “immediately cease the aforementioned activities and provide us with all information underpinning the allegation made in your July 17, 2026, letter regarding non-citizens registered to vote.”
Fetterman’s office responded to questions about his participation by stating the Pennsylvania senator has been “clear” that U.S. elections are secure, fair, and accurate.
The broad coalition of 34 Democratic senators signing the letter signals unified concern within the caucus about what they view as politically motivated federal overreach into election administration.
