LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Declassified White House documents on election integrity name Nevada as one of four states where the Department of Homeland Security alleges noncitizens are illegally registered to vote, prompting a sharp rebuttal from state leaders.
Trump used the nationally televised address to raise doubts about the legitimacy of U.S. elections and call for more restrictive voting laws ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The speech was accompanied by the release of what the White House described as previously classified documents related to the 2020 and 2018 elections.
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What the White House documents say about Nevada
Among the documents released by the White House, a section on noncitizens on state voter rolls stated that DHS has initiated multiple investigations related to allegations of noncitizen voting and registration.
“Over 250,000 non-citizens are illegally registered to vote in just the four states for which public data files have been reviewed,” the document stated.
The document identified those four states as California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Nevada. It said state election officials in all four states have been notified and that “DHS stands ready to support their efforts to identify and remove ineligible registrants.” The document added that the investigation is expanding to include additional states.
The White House said DHS will also support the Department of Justice’s review of voter files obtained under the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 and the Help America Vote Act of 2002.
However, the document does not provide any state-specific breakdown of the 250,000 non-citizens registered to vote across the four states.
Aguilar responds
Aguilar issued a statement Thursday calling the claims unfounded and accusing Trump of attempting to undermine confidence in Nevada’s elections ahead of the midterms.
“Nevada voters deserve facts, not fear,” Aguilar said. “The President has spent the better part of a decade attempting to manufacture a crisis around voting when there is none.”
Aguilar, who serves as Nevada’s chief elections officer, said election officials of both parties have consistently defended the state’s elections since 2020.
“The facts have not changed: Nevada’s elections are among the safest, most secure and accessible in the nation,” he said.
Aguilar cited several steps his office has taken in recent years, including implementing a new statewide voter registration and election management system, deploying voting machines in every county that allow in-person voters to print and review ballots before submission, and modernizing systems to allow the public to view ballot status in real time.
“There are numerous protections in place to prevent noncitizens, and anyone ineligible, from casting a ballot,” Aguilar said. “Any claims of election fraud are taken seriously and investigated by our office, but there is no evidence of widespread fraud.”
Cybersecurity and federal funding
Aguilar also addressed cybersecurity, noting that Nevada’s election systems remained secure during what he described as one of the worst cyberattacks on a state government system in the state’s history.
“Last year, when Nevada faced one of the worst cyberattacks to a state government system in history, taking down many critical state websites and services, the Secretary of State’s Office and its election management system and voter database remained secure and operational,” Aguilar said.
He said those protections were the result of investments in cybersecurity made without federal support, and criticized the Trump administration for cutting funding for cybersecurity and election administration at the state level.
Trump’s new budget proposes a $707 million cut to the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the federal agency charged with protecting American election systems from overseas cyberattacks.
Broader context
Trump’s address did not produce evidence that votes had been manipulated or that any election outcome had been altered, according to the Associated Press. Repeated audits and reviews — many conducted by Republicans, including Trump’s own then-attorney general — found no significant fraud occurred in 2020.
Nevada Democrats accused of attempting to discredit the upcoming midterm elections, releasing the following statement after the address.
Aguilar echoed that concern in his statement, saying in part, “Attempts to spread misinformation and create distrust make people question a process that works and threaten to stop them from participating and voting. The Nevada Secretary of State’s Office remains focused on what matters: protecting every eligible voter’s right to participate and ensuring the 2026 midterm elections are safe, secure and accessible.”
Nevada Republicans praised Trump’s actions following his address, saying in part, “President Trump is taking swift action in restoring our elections to ensure they are free, fair, and honest, while Democrat politicians continue to stand in the way of election security.
“President Trump has championed voter ID, paper ballots, proof of citizenship, up-to-date voter rolls, and same-day voting to secure our elections. Voters deserve elections they can trust, and President Trump is restoring that confidence through the SAVE America Act, which would require voters to present photo ID and implement other critical measures to protect federal elections from fraud and abuse,” the statement reads.
Past accusations
The White House’s accusation of voter fraud by non-citizens comes after last year’s lengthy back and forth about Nevada’s compliance with federal immigration enforcement.
In August, the Department of Justice included Nevada on a list of sanctuary jurisdictions that were being investigated for impeding the enforcement of federal immigration laws. In response, Governor Lombardo – who received an endorsement from Trump – blamed Attorney General Aaron Ford, who is running as a challenger for the Governor’s seat this November, for his “attempts to implement sanctuary policies.”
Lombardo has also pledged that Nevada will fully comply with federal law enforcement in any capacity, especially when it comes to ICE.
In May 2025, the city of Las Vegas was also singled out, but that webpage has since been removed from the DOJ’s website.
Mayor Shelley Berkley issued a similar response at the time, sharply denouncing the idea of Las Vegas as a sanctuary city and reaffirming her support for complying with federal law.
Both Berkley and Lombardo expressed that they had reached out to the DOJ for more clarification on the designations, but it is unclear what explanations were given.
FOX5 has reached out to the Governor’s Office, the Secretary of State’s Office, and the White House to learn more.
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
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