Trump's enforcer fires off chilling five-day ultimatum carrying threat to prosecute election officials

By BREANNE DEPPISCH, US SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER Published: 17:56, 9 July 2026 | Updated: 17:59, 9 July 2026 The Department of Justice put election officials on notice this week by giving them five days to outline their plan to maintain ‘clean voter lists’ ahead of the elections — and warning that failure to comply could be met with criminal prosecution. The dictum came in the form of a letter signed by Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon and sent to election officials in all 50 states, as well as the District of Columbia, a spokesperson for the Justice Department confirmed. They gave election officials a five-day period to detail what steps they are taking to comply with federal, state, and local election laws.  And they reiterated that election officials could be ‘criminally prosecuted’ for ‘aiding and abetting’ noncitizen voting — a reminder that comes as the Trump administration has sought to crack down on voter security efforts more broadly ahead of the November midterm elections.  ‘The Department sent these letters to all 50 states and the District of Columbia, asking for voluntary compliance in a timely manner with their obligations under federal law to ensure only citizens vote in federal elections,’ the DOJ spokesperson said of the letters. ‘An election officer who knowingly takes an action aimed at retaining noncitizens on the state’s SVRL [State Voter Registration List] could be subject to criminal liability,’ the letter said. The effort comes as President Donald Trump’s administration has sought to crack down on election security and noncitizen voting in his second term in office, despite reports that such behavior is extremely rare — and already a criminal offense punishable by prison time. President Donald Trump speaks alongside a red cap stating 'America Is Back!' in the Oval Office Harmeet Dhillon is seen speaking at a 2022 'America Fest' event in Phoenix, Arizona.  A giant portrait of President Donald Trump  is seen outside the Justice Department in Washington, DC Voters cast their ballots at a polling station for the 2024 primary elections in Chicago, Illinois Most recently, Trump has pushed Congress to approve the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility, or SAVE Act, which would effectively overhaul elections in 50 states and also add more requirements like proof of citizenship and mandatory voter ID. It’s unclear what the penalty will be for officials who fail to comply with the five-day timeline. Utah Lt. Governor Deidre Henderson described the latest Justice Department salvo as a 'threat.'  ‘Got another love letter this morning from the DOJ sprinkled throughout with threats of criminal prosecution,’ Henderson wrote on social media.  ‘I’m sure I’m not the only chief election officer of a state who is being targeted for following state and federal laws by resisting DOJ’s demands for private voter data that have thus far been ruled illegal by at least a dozen courts,' she added.  It is not legal for a noncitizen to register to vote or to vote in a federal election in any US state, and individuals who do can face steep fines, prison time, deportation or revocation of their legal immigration status, among other penalties. The Bipartisan Policy Center, which analyzed voting data from 1999 to 2023, concluded in a report last year that noncitizen voter registration is ‘already rare,’ and noncitizen voting is ‘even less common.’ ‘The enormity of these penalties means that deterrence is an important factor in ensuring compliance with laws that prohibit noncitizens from voting in federal elections,’ the group said.