Two dozen noncitizens cast illegal votes in Alabama, while almost 200 were registered to vote, the state found with the assistance of a federal database.

The Trump administration has made the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services SAVE program–short for Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements–available to state and local governments for citizenship verification.

“Our elections must be decided by American citizens and only American citizens,” Alabama Secretary of State Wes Allen said in a public statement. “While liberal organizations and media outlets claim noncitizen voting is not a problem, my office has proven otherwise.”

Using the SAVE data, the state found 186 noncitizens in the state were registered to vote, while 25 actually cast illegal ballots. 

Alabama is one of 26 states that agreed to use the SAVE program. The system allows states to make bulk inquiries about citizenship, whereas previously a jurisdiction would have to analyze voter records individually.

After his office discovered the names, Allen ordered their immediate removal from state voter registration lists. 

He said he will also refer these matters to local, state, and federal law enforcement authorities.

Allen directed local election boards of voter registrars to remove those individuals.

“Under my watch, illegal registration and illegal voting by noncitizens will not be tolerated in Alabama,” Allen continued. “My office will continue to identify these violations, refer them to law enforcement, and ensure the full force of the law is applied.”

Alabama began investigating its voter rolls after it entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the USCIS and the Department of Homeland Security. 

The MOU authorizes the Alabama Secretary of State’s office to utilize the SAVE program for voter-file maintenance. 

The Trump administration made the SAVE system available to state election officials as part of a larger executive order on election integrity. 

Under the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, and the Help America Vote Act of 2002, states are required to regularly update and maintain voter registration rolls to ensure ineligible voters, or voters who have left a jurisdiction, are no longer improperly registered. 

On another front, the Justice Department has sued 23 states to obtain voter registration data to ensure compliance with the two federal laws. The agency announced the two most recent lawsuits against Arizona and Connecticut on Tuesday.

Every Alabama resident identified through the SAVE database was notified and allowed to respond by submitting documentation proving U.S. citizenship, according to the Alabama Secretary of State’s office. 

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