House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) has sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, seeking information about DHS's non-compliance with Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose's requests for federal citizenship information. This information is needed to verify the citizenship status of registered voters in Ohio.

Secretary LaRose, as Ohio's chief election officer, is responsible for enforcing state election laws. This includes adopting rules for removing ineligible voters from voter rolls and ensuring the integrity of elections in Ohio. According to Chairman Jordan, "Secretary LaRose's statutory obligations require that he maintain a seamless and secure voting process for all lawfully registered citizens in Ohio."

Chairman Jordan expressed concern over what he described as the Biden-Harris Administration’s open-borders policies and DHS’s failure to comply with requests from Secretary LaRose. The letter stated: "The Committee on the Judiciary is continuing its oversight of the Biden Administration's compliance with federal immigration law."

The letter also detailed that on July 19, 2024, Secretary LaRose requested access to federal citizenship verification records but has yet to receive a response from DHS. "In total, Secretary LaRose has 'sent four appeals to [you] asking the Biden-Harris administration to grant access to additional [Department of Homeland Security (DHS)] databases,'" wrote Chairman Jordan.

Federal law mandates that DHS respond to such inquiries. Specifically, 8 U.S.C. § 1373 states that DHS "shall respond to an inquiry by a Federal, State, or local government agency" regarding citizenship or immigration status.

Chairman Jordan emphasized this legal requirement: "Given Secretary LaRose's state and federal statutory responsibilities... his request for access to DHS's citizenship verification databases is a 'purpose authorized by law,' and you must grant it accordingly."

The full letter can be read online.

###