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President Trump is expected to reveal during his primetime speech Thursday on election security that at least 278,000 noncitizens are registered to vote in US federal elections.
The shocking number is part of a forthcoming report by the Department of Homeland Security, a source familiar told The Post.
It is the highest ever publicly reported in US history, but the source said it remains unclear how many of those registrants may have voted illegally and what the administration plans to do about it.
There may be more illegal registrants, as the number reflects only those noncitizens registered in states reviewed to date, the source said without revealing how many states’ voter records have been reviewed.
US law holds that it is illegal for noncitizens to vote in the United States, punishable by a year in jail and a fine — but ultimately states shoulder the burden to verify a voter’s eligibility.
The previously unreported information is just one of several revelations Trump is expected to make in his address, which administration insiders say could change before the president takes the podium at 9 p.m. ET.
“As usual, anonymous sources are speculating about what President Trump will say during his speech on Thursday evening,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said to CBS. “The truth is, nobody knows yet what President Trump will ultimately say, which is why everyone should tune in.”
The president is expected to use the information to help pitch action on the SAVE America Act — which would require proof of citizenship to vote and other election reforms, but has long lingered in Congress.
Republicans have repeatedly tried to jam the bill — considered President Trump’s top legislative priority this year — through the Senate, but have consistently failed due to a Democratic filibuster.
Trump may ask Americans to call on their lawmakers to pass the legislation, according to the source.
It comes after the Department of Justice last week sent letters to elections officials across the country warning they “could be criminally prosecuted for aiding noncitizen voting” if such ballots are counted in an election.
While the administration has been tight-lipped on the contents of Trump’s speech, Leavitt told reporters on Thursday it would be centered on election security and what the president will reveal “will shock you.”
“We should have the safest and most secure elections in the history of the world,” she said. “And what the president will be speaking about tonight will show you that perhaps that is not the case.”
Leavitt argued that election security should be a bipartisan issue, and that “the American people will be relieved to hear what they are hearing from the president of the United States” in the speech.
“I think all Republicans and Democrats should recognize this should be a nonpartisan issue,” Leavitt said. “If we don’t have safe and secure elections in our country, we cannot have a country. It is a vital part of our democracy, of our constitutional republic.”
To her point, the law that criminalized noncitizen voting — the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 — was signed into law by Democratic former President Bill Clinton.
It comes after CBS on Wednesday night reported that Trump would also share allegations that Beijing “compromised US voter data,” as well as “evidence the CIA knew about the action and didn’t share that information” with the president at the time.
The White House gave the outlet a tacit denial of the report.
The White House did not respond to multiple requests for comment. DHS was unable to provide a response by deadline.
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