Voting rights and privacy groups say emails obtained through records requests suggest DHS gathered data from Kentucky and five other states.
A July 6 email said the information was awaiting entry into Palantir’s ELITE tool, used to locate certain foreign nationals targeted for removal. The allegations, which so far remain unproven, follow federal court dismissals of DOJ lawsuits seeking unredacted voter registration records.
Kentucky officials argued releasing the records could expose private information, including addresses, birth dates and partial Social Security numbers.
Governor Andy Beshear addressed questions about the lawsuit during his weekly Team Kentucky press briefing.
"You have things like your Social Security number and other personal information that under law, we're not allowed to share with anyone, including the federal government," Beshear said. "They've tried to bulldoze us and push through, but every time we've said no. We pledged our, we took an oath to uphold the law and the law says the federal government doesn't get that; businesses don't get it. Nobody gets it. You've got to be able to trust us with that information."
Voting rights advocates warn that using voter data for immigration enforcement could deter eligible voters from heading to the polls.
Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams says voter rolls were not improperly accessed or altered and his office is not involved in the lawsuit.
