What’s Maggie hiding? NM sec. of state fights federal search for illegal voters

New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver, a far-left Democrat seeking continual elective office now as lieutenant governor, is once again at the center of a national controversy—this time joining 10 other Democrat secretaries of state in signing a letter attacking the federal government for requesting statewide voter-roll data. Critics say the group is trying to obstruct lawful federal efforts to ensure only U.S. citizens vote in American elections, effectively protecting non-citizens—and even criminal aliens—from detection.

The letter, sent Nov. 18 to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, expresses “immense concern” that the Trump administration’s Department of Justice is sharing voter data with Homeland Security to check for non-citizens on the voter rolls. The multi-state letter was signed by far-left Democrat election chiefs from Arizona, California, Colorado, Maine, Minnesota, Nevada, Oregon, Vermont, Washington, and New Mexico—including Toulouse Oliver, whose signature appears alongside the others on page 3 of the file.

Rather than welcoming the chance to ensure voter rolls contain only eligible voters, the secretaries attack the process and question why DOJ and DHS would need such data. The letter complains that the federal government requested voter registration lists—and in some states, full unredacted records including dates of birth and the last four digits of Social Security numbers—so that the DOJ could review whether states are complying with Help America Vote Act (HAVA) and National Voter Registration Act (NVRA) list-maintenance requirements.

These laws require states to maintain clean, accurate rolls and remove ineligible individuals, including deceased voters and non-citizens. But Toulouse Oliver and her counterparts frame these legally authorized federal checks as alarming and improper, warning of “Privacy Act concerns” and calling the federal explanations “misleading.”

Their objections intensified after DHS confirmed that voter data would be cross-checked using the federal SAVE database—a system specifically designed to verify immigration status. The letter attacks DHS Deputy Assistant Secretary Heather Honey personally, accusing her of having “a history of spreading false claims about elections.”

Despite these complaints, the DOJ has been clear:

“Congress gave the Justice Department authority under the NVRA, HAVA, the Civil Rights Act, and other statutes to ensure that states have proper voter registration procedures and programs to maintain clean voter rolls… the data is being screened for ineligible voter entries.”

In other words, the Trump administration is doing exactly what federal law demands: ensuring only eligible citizens vote.

But Toulouse Oliver appears more concerned with shielding non-citizens from detection. In an interview, she admitted her real fear is that accurate citizenship verification could “potentially harm people who are legally here” and that she does not believe there are “a huge amount, if any, non-citizens” on the rolls—despite having no access to federal immigration databases to verify that claim.

Her argument boils down to this: states—not the federal government—should decide how voter data is matched, and she “trusts” her own process more than DHS or DOJ.

Yet the law is unambiguous:

federal agencies have the authority and responsibility to ensure federal elections are conducted legally, and that includes verifying citizenship.

Critics argue Toulouse Oliver and the other Democratic secretaries are trying to stop exactly that, prioritizing political optics and progressive ideology over election integrity. By obstructing basic citizenship checks, they risk enabling illegal voting and undermining public confidence in the system.

The 10 secretaries have demanded answers from DOJ and DHS by Dec. 1, though Toulouse Oliver admitted she does not expect a response.

Her final justification was revealing:

“If I don’t stand up and use my voice for what is right, then I’m complicit.”

But many Americans believe the real complicity lies in blocking lawful efforts to ensure that only U.S. citizens vote—and in fighting transparency at every turn.