Ernst, Grassley Slam USCIS Failure to Comply with Federal and State Requests for Citizenship Voter Data

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) released the below joint statement regarding the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ (USCIS) failure to release citizenship information on 2,176 potential non-citizen Iowa voters.

USCIS confirmed receipt of the senators’October 31 letter supporting Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate’s request for the data, writing, “A fulsome response to Secretary Pate’s request is forthcoming.” The agency neither provided the information Grassley and Ernst asked for by Friday, November 1, nor specified when or if it would do so. 

“Anything short of the information Secretary Pate requested is unacceptable. Iowa has worked in good faith to secure its electoral process and safeguard Americans’ cherished right to vote. Unfortunately, USCIS’ stonewalling has led to more questions than answers. The Iowa Secretary of State has assured us protections are in place to ensure all legally registered voters’ ballots are counted. It is paramount the federal government provide Iowa election officials the requested information so they can accurately discern which individuals ought to be casting provisional ballots.  

“We reiterate our demand for USCIS to immediately release the requested information, to ensure all eligible citizens can participate in our elections. With Election Day right around the corner, there’s no time for federal officials to waste.”

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