The Department of Homeland Security investigated 16,000 allegedly illegally registered non-citizens in Nevada in July 2026 and found zero cases.
Posted by Real Time with Bill Maher, Checked
- Sources
- 5 contradict2 support
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 60%
Real Time with Bill MaherOct 24, 2026
DHS's July 16, 2026 letter did claim as many as 15,903 Nevada noncitizen registrants, which fits the claim's 16,000 figure and July timing. However, the sources do not show DHS finding zero: DHS later 'confirmed' 185 names, and the zero result came from Nevada state officials' review (which DHS disputes), so the claim misattributes the zero finding to DHS.
Our two reads of who says this, and how, disagree, so it counts as the post's own claim.
What was said
… They looked into it. The Heritage Foundation, conservative organization, Arizona, they went back 25 years, 36 elections, 42 million votes cast, 36 cases of fraud. Pennsylvania: 100 million votes cast over 30 years, 32 elections, 39 cases. They went to Nevada just this year in July. The DHS did. They thought there were 16,000 non-citizens illegally registered. They did a big follow-up. It turned out 185, not 16,000. They did another follow-up. Turned out it wasn't 185; it was zero. Zero. With these kind of numbers, don't you think the Republicans are making a big mistake, as well as a moral mistake, pursuing this avenue? Yeah, I think it's crazy to lift this up as some kind of central issue. …
Real Time with Bill Maher · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Contradicts. DHS did not find zero: it told Nevada it had 'confirmed' 185 registrants as noncitizens after a follow-up, and DHS still disputes the state's zero-based conclusion.[3][4][5]
Contradicts. The zero result came from Nevada state officials, who reviewed the 185 names and found all were U.S. citizens; a Senate letter and PBS coverage attribute the zero figure to the state review, not to DHS.[2][3][6]
Supports. DHS Secretary Mullin's July 16, 2026 letter to Nevada's Secretary of State said there may be as many as 15,903 noncitizens registered to vote in Nevada, consistent with the claim's ~16,000 figure.[1][7]
Context. Coverage (Nevada Week, NY Times headline via Senate letter) describes the trajectory as 16,000 to 185 to zero, with the zero figure framed as the state's finding that DHS rejects.[2][3]
Sources
7 sources: 1 fact-checker, 1 primary, 1 tier 2, 4 not rated
- 1DHS threatens states with fines, charges over election ...reuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: supports
- 21 September 25, 2026 The Honorable Markwayne Mullin ...hsgac.senate.gov · primary source · cited for: contradicts, context
- 3Nevada Week | Election Integrity | Season 9 | Episode 15pbs.org · tier 2 · cited for: contradicts, context
- 4Inside the Trump administration's lists of alleged noncitizen ...edition.cnn.com · not rated · cited for: contradicts
- 5Nevada ready to resist federal election pressure | Aguilarrgj.com · not rated · cited for: contradicts
- 6House Democrats demand answers about potential Trump disenfranchisement effortsms.now · not rated · cited for: contradicts
- 7July 16, 2026 Francisco Aguilar Nevada Secretary of State ...democracydocket.com · not rated · cited for: supports
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
Related claims
- The Department of Homeland Security identified 16,000 ineligible people on Nevada voter rolls, but could not demonstrate that any were ineligible.Mixed
- In July 2026, Department of Homeland Security officials informed Nevada officials that they had identified nearly 16,000 non-citizens on the state's voter rolls.True
- The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that 185 individuals on the Nevada voter rolls were not U.S. citizens after a manual review.Mixed
- Nevada state officials determined that the 185 individuals flagged by the Department of Homeland Security as non-citizens were actually U.S. citizens.True
- The Department of Homeland Security initially informed Nevada election officials that there were 15,903 non-citizens on the state's voter rolls.True