Texas Responds to Maria Bartiromo’s Migrants Voter Claims

Texan authorities have firmly rejected Fox News host Maria Bartiromo’s suggestion that migrants have been registered to vote outside a number of Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) facilities across the state.

The claims were branded “simply false” by a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Public Safety speaking to The Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Prominent Republicans, including the party’s 2024 presidential nominee Donald Trump, have repeatedly suggested migrants are being signed up to vote after arriving in the U.S. despite American citizenship being required to vote in federal elections. During a speech in January Trump said his political opponents were “allowing these people to come in, people that don’t speak our language, they are signing them up to vote.” This claim was classed as “pants on fire” by fact-checking website Politifact.

On August 18, Bartiromo posted a message “from a friend” on X, where she has over 1.3 million followers.

It said: “From a friend…Friend of mine’s wife had to take her 16 yr old son to the DMV this week for a new license. Couldn’t get an online appointment (all full) so went in person and had to go to 3 DMV’s to get something done.

“First DMV was in Weatherford. Had a massive line of immigrants getting licenses and had a tent and table outside the front door of the DMV registering them to vote! Second one was in Fort Worth with same lines and same Dems out front. Third one was in North Fort Worth had no lines but had same voter registration drive.”

The post went viral on X receiving over 2.3 million views and being reshared over 15,000 times.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, subsequently opened an investigation into “reports that organizations operating in Texas may be unlawfully registering noncitizens to vote.”

However, Bartiromo’s account was disputed by Brady Gray, chair of the Parker County Republican Party which covers Weatherford. In a post on X, Gray laid out what he called “some facts” following consultation with the county election administration office and the DPS.

Referring to Bartiromo’s post he said: “While we are everyday registering more voters in Parker county, there has been no large submission of registrants consistent with the claim.

“All voter registration applications in the county are processed by the county EA office (County Voter Registrar) and are uploaded to SOS [secretary of state] to verify the applicants eligibility to vote (i.e. citizenship, etc.). Not only have there been no recent instances of ineligible individuals attempting to register in Parker county, there have only been two in the last 15 years.

“The DPS office has confirmed that there have been no tents or tables and no one registering voters on their premises, and that if it were the case they would be told to leave, as it is not allowed.”

A similar denial was issued by Texas Department of Public Safety spokesperson Sergeant William Lockridge who told The Fort Worth Star-Telegram, “None of it is true”, adding the suggestion that those reportedly seen outside the DPS office were immigrants was “kind of racist.”

Newsweek contacted the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Texas Attorney General’s office and Maria Bartiromo, via Fox News, for comment by email.

According to the federal U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency, there have been at least 8.1 million encounters between law enforcement and suspected migrants on the southern border since Joe Biden was inaugurated as president, though the figure has fallen significantly over the past few months.

Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris has said she will attempt to resurrect a bipartisan border deal, which was shot down earlier this year by House Republicans if elected to the White House in November.

Trump has pledged to deport millions of undocumented migrants if he wins a second term later this year.