A DHS email raises new questions about the Trump administration's election plans

Signage directs voters at a polling place in White Bear Township, Minn., on Aug. 11. Stephen Maturen/Getty Images hide caption

An internal Department of Homeland Security email raises new questions about the agency's efforts to hunt for non-U.S. citizens who may be on state voter rolls or have cast ballots in the past.

In the email — which was sent last year, but is newly acquired by NPR — DHS personnel shared a 78-page document listing counties and states that offer election materials and ballots in non-English languages. The list of jurisdictions was attached alongside a Department of Justice criminal checklist outlining requirements for prosecution of voter-related charges.

The email was released as part of a tranche of materials after the Democratic National Committee filed suit over a public records request, and was then shared with NPR.

Democrats fear that the Trump administration's efforts to root out noncitizen voters will entangle or intimidate eligible voters and dampen turnout in this year's midterms. DHS has surged resources to investigate noncitizen voting, even as prior audits have found such fraud to be extremely rare .

Nothing in the document alludes to enforcement activity at the locations mentioned. The email is heavily redacted, so it's unclear why the list of non-English jurisdictions was attached. A court filing by DHS defending its redactions described the email as a "subordinate sharing initial thoughts and opinions with leadership."

When asked by NPR about the document, DHS said in a statement that anyone who votes illegally shouldn't be able to "use a purported lack of knowledge" of English to avoid prosecution. In recent weeks, federal authorities have charged a number of individuals with alleged illegal voting.

Fears about the Trump administration's election plans have led civil rights coalitions to sue to stop DHS from deploying federal officers to the polls, which administration officials have at times suggested could happen. The newest of those lawsuits, first reported by NPR , was just filed Friday.