WATCH: Padilla Breaks Down New Whistleblower Allegations of DHS Lawbreaking Ahead of Midterms

WATCH: Padilla uncovers Trump's voter intimidation push through DHS whistleblower disclosure

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Rules and Administration with jurisdiction over federal elections and Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, released a video sounding the alarm over Trump's ongoing attacks on American elections, including a recent disclosure by a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) whistleblower that alleges that DHS is directing U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Fraud Detection and National Security (FDNS) Division officers to violate state laws as a part of its "Unlawful Voter Initiative," an effort aimed at substantiating President Trump's baseless claims of widespread voter fraud.

With just weeks to go until the November election, Senator Padilla breaks down the whistleblower's claims and how the federal government's alleged interference will impact eligible voters. Additionally, Senator Padilla calls for every American to resist these voter suppression tactics by making a plan and committing to vote this November.

Following receipt of the bombshell whistleblower disclosure, Padilla and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) demanded DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin and USCIS Director Joseph B. Edlow immediately halt the "Unlawful Voter Initiative" and provide responses to Congress on its activities, and protect naturalized citizens who were erroneously flagged as "unlawful voters." On Monday, Padilla and Senator Adam Schiff (both D-Calif.) sent a letter to California Attorney General Rob Bonta highlighting the concerning activities detailed by the DHS whistleblower disclosure and requested that Bonta investigate whether those actions violated California law. Last week, Padilla and Schumer led 16 members of the Senate Democratic Caucus to demand the DHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) immediately open an independent investigation into the wrongdoings detailed in the whistleblower's disclosure. The whistleblower's disclosure is also being cited in ongoing litigation, Virginia's Attorney General is examining potential violations of Virginia state law, and Arizona's Attorney General and Secretary of State are calling on Arizona's U.S. Attorney to look into this alleged misuse of data by the federal government.

Excerpts from the video are below:

PADILLA REACTION TO WHISTLEBLOWER DISCLOSURE

And the only reason we know about these allegations is because a federal employee had the courage to come forward. Now, that takes guts. My office is protecting this whistleblower's identity from any potential retribution. But making their disclosure public isn't enough. Because there are still major questions out there. How did DHS obtain this voter information? Who directed this initiative? And what exactly did they access? How was it used? And were American citizens caught up in it?

That's why Senator Adam Schiff and I have shared this disclosure with Rob Bonta, California's Attorney General, because he may want to look into this and determine whether DHS personnel violated California law. And the DHS Inspector General should look into it to look for any violations of federal law. But this isn't the only election fight happening right now.

[…]

Now these are separate matters. But together, they raise serious questions about the Trump Administration's attempts to interfere in our elections. And all of this is happening as ballots go out to voters. So if you're thinking, What the hell is going on? That's a fair question. And after spending six years running California's elections as Secretary of State, and now serving as ranking member of the Senate committee with jurisdiction over federal elections… this happens to be something I know a little bit about. So here's what we know.

PADILLA ON WHAT COMES NEXT AFTER WHISTLEBLOWER DISCLOSURE

Recently my office received a protected disclosure from an anonymous federal whistleblower. According to that disclosure, hundreds of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services employees were reassigned from their duties to something called the "Unlawful Voter Initiative." Its stated goal was identifying people who may have been unlawfully registered to vote. And to be clear: Regardless of what you hear from certain individuals, noncitizen voting in federal elections is both already illegal and extremely rare. But according to the whistleblower, these officers were instructed to access state voter websites to try to manufacture evidence of noncitizen voting. Some sites required users to attest that they were the voter or authorized to act for that voter.

These federal employees were neither. So, they were told to lie. And when employees reportedly questioned whether that was legal, they were basically told not to worry about it, and promised that they wouldn't be held personally liable. Not held personally liable? If what they're doing is legal, then federal employees shouldn't have to question whether their assignments will expose them to liability. So I'm working to determine who gave those instructions.

PADILLA EXAMINES IMPACT OF TRUMP'S INTERFERENCE IN ELECTIONS

According to the disclosure, the government's own materials acknowledged these investigations could include "a lot of U.S. citizens." And the data was so unreliable it includes "supplemental magic." And employees were reportedly expected to process- forty people a day. That's five per hour - or about twelve minutes per person. Twelve minutes to review complex immigration information, citizenship information, voter information and potentially create a federal law-enforcement record. Based on magic data? That's nowhere even close to enough time to do an actual thorough, responsible, accurate records check. After a twelve-minute review, they were instructed to create law enforcement records based on this questionable data. And an inaccurate federal record can have very real, long-term consequences. The worst part is that people won't even know if these records were created for them until it is too late. So we need to know: How many American citizens were wrongly flagged? How many false records were created?

And what is going to protect Americans from being secretly flagged as a "unlawful voter" by DHS?

PADILLA'S PERSONAL FIGHT FOR FREE ELECTIONS

When I came home to California after earning my engineering degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, it was during our state's fight over Proposition 187 which targeted and scapegoated families like mine. My parents immigrated from Mexico. My dad worked for forty years as a short-order cook. And for those same forty years, my mom cleaned houses. Now, watching immigrants who became citizens like my parents and so many others in my hometown community of Pacoima, when they become a political punching bag, that helped propel me into public service. A few years later, after serving on the Los Angeles City Council and then in the State Senate, I became California's chief elections officer. And here's something you learn when you actually run elections: election security and voter access are not mutually exclusive. Yes, you need accurate voter rolls, secure systems, clear rules, and, in a democracy, you need the opportunity for every eligible voter to cast a ballot. So when someone invokes "election integrity," I take it seriously.

PADILLA'S EFFORTS TO PROTECT ELECTIONS

Now you may be thinking: Okay, Senator. What are you actually doing about this?

That's a fair question. Because I know how this sounds. Another instance of the Trump Administration being out of control. Another letter. More outrage. More frustration with Washington. I understand it. So here's the reality. We're in a tough position with an Administration that has no regard for the law, and which Republicans refuse to hold accountable. Hopefully that all changes after this November's midterm elections. But I'm not sitting on the sidelines and waiting until then - I'm already getting to work. I will protect this whistleblower. This evidence is already being cited in court. I am demanding documents, I am asking the tough questions, I will conduct oversight, and I will make sure these abuses do not go unnoticed. Senator Schumer and I have demanded an independent investigation into these allegations. I want to know: who authorized this? What information was accessed? Why were U.S. citizens wrongly flagged? Were laws broken? And what happened to the records? What recourse do U.S. citizens and others flagged have to correct these records? I'm going to keep asking until we get answers. The whistleblower did their part. I'm doing everything within my authority to do mine. And every American gets to decide for themselves what they think about what their government is doing. Pay attention. Make your own judgment. And make your voice heard. Because presidents don't get the final word. Senators don't get the final word. Voters do.

Full video is available here.