The Texas Secretary of State’s Office used a controversial federal data tool to flag more than 2,000 potential noncitizens on the state’s voter roll last year. However, in an April letter to federal immigration officials, Secretary of State Jane Nelson raised concerns about the tool’s accuracy.

Concerns About the SAVE Program

Nelson’s letter to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officials expressed her office’s desire to ensure that the most accurate data is being used. She asked agency officials to notify her office if they are able to confirm the citizenship of any individuals previously identified as non-citizens in the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, or SAVE, system.

The Trump administration overhauled the SAVE program last year, making it free for states to use and easier to search. However, experts and election officials have raised concerns about the program’s accuracy, and officials in multiple states have said it incorrectly flagged at least some citizens.

County election officials in Texas have confirmed that some of the flagged voters were citizens, and they have also found that hundreds of the flagged voters had registered through the Texas Department of Public Safety, which requires proof of citizenship.

Investigations Ongoing

Investigations into the status of potential noncitizens on the voter roll are still ongoing in Texas. Nelson’s letter pointed to the fact that these investigations have raised questions about the SAVE program’s accuracy.

Nelson praised the Trump administration’s move to make the tool free for states to use and said the SAVE program has proven to be a critically important data set. However, she emphasized the need for her office to use all available sources to confirm a person’s citizenship status.

Original reporting: Texas Tribune (HLL/CB) — read the source article.