Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird has announced a settlement agreement between the state and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security regarding access to federal immigration data for election integrity purposes.
According to Bird, the Department of Homeland Security under President Biden informed Iowa officials that there were hundreds of noncitizens on Iowa’s voter rolls but did not provide specific names or allow access to the relevant database. This occurred shortly before the 2024 election.
To address these concerns, Bird’s office filed a lawsuit against the Biden administration seeking access to the database. The case was settled with the Trump administration, which agreed to provide Iowa with access.
“Only American citizens can vote in Iowa elections,” said Attorney General Bird. “This agreement with the Trump Administration will help Iowa safeguard the integrity of our elections for years to come by preventing an illegal vote to cancel out the vote of Iowa citizens.”
The settlement requires that federal officials grant Iowa free access to an immigration database for 20 years. The goal is to use this technology to prevent noncitizens from voting in future state elections.
