The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is facing legal action over its aggressive expansion of a data-sharing program that critics say is wrongly removing U.S. citizens from voter rolls. The program, called Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE), was originally designed in 1986 to verify the eligibility of immigrants for federal benefits. However, under recent changes, it now accesses data from across the government, including Social Security and IRS records, and is being used by states to check voter citizenship.
The Problem: Inaccurate Data and Citizen Purges
The lawsuit, filed by the League of Women Voters and the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), alleges that the expanded SAVE system is causing errors, leading to U.S. citizens being incorrectly flagged as non-citizens and removed from voter lists.
Experts warned this could happen: disparate data sources collected for different purposes are prone to inaccuracies. According to the complaint, in one case, a U.S. citizen in Texas named Anthony Nel had his registration canceled due to faulty SAVE data.
The issue isn’t hypothetical. Texas officials announced in October that they identified 2,724 “potential noncitizens” on voter rolls. States like Florida, Louisiana, and others are using SAVE by uploading voter information for verification.
Why This Matters: Eroding Trust in Elections
This isn’t just about technical glitches; it directly impacts voting rights and undermines public trust in the integrity of elections. The SAVE expansion comes after years of false claims about widespread voter fraud, particularly among immigrants. Even if non-citizen voting is rare, using unreliable data to purge rolls fuels distrust.
The DHS did not respond to requests for comment.
Internal Warnings Ignored
A Privacy Threshold Analysis (PTA) conducted by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) found that SAVE data is prone to inaccuracies, particularly with records before 1981. The report flagged SAVE as “not in compliance” with privacy regulations because it had not yet issued a public notice about sharing Social Security data for immigration checks.
The SSA also acknowledges the issue: Social Security numbers are not intended for this purpose, and the agency stopped automatically mailing new cards to naturalized citizens in 2025, meaning records can be outdated.
The Bigger Picture: A National Citizenship Database?
Critics argue that DHS is overstepping its authority by creating a de facto national citizenship database. Congress has not authorized such a system, and the agency is effectively imposing a federal proof-of-citizenship requirement for voters without legislative approval.
The SAVE program is being rolled out as midterm elections approach. Proposals for stricter voting requirements, like the proposed SAVE Act, are gaining traction, with some suggesting that Elon Musk supports ending the filibuster to pass “election integrity” laws.
The expansion of SAVE is not just a technical issue; it’s a political one, raising concerns about voter suppression and the erosion of democratic processes. The lawsuit seeks to halt the program, arguing that it violates constitutional rights and undermines the foundations of free and fair elections.
