U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will not accept letters issued by the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) explaining that approximately 6,600 non-U.S. citizens were mistakenly placed on the state’s voter rolls due to a software error, according to a federal immigration official.
Keith Dorr, director of the USCIS field office in Mount Laurel, said his office has already begun receiving copies of the MVC notices from individuals who have applied for U.S. citizenship.
“Our agency is responding back that the letter, letting them know that we will not be accepting them since the letters are not addressed to a specific person and there is no signature and/or seal on the letters,” Dorr said in an email obtained by New Jersey Globe.
According to New Jersey Globe, USCIS’s refusal to accept these letters could create a new challenge for non-U.S. citizens who were placed on the voter rolls through no fault of their own while going through the naturalization process. Applications for U.S. citizenship include questions about voter registration and voting, making documentation of the state’s error potentially important during the immigration review.
How the Error Happened
The MVC notified approximately 6,600 non-U.S. citizens that they had been mistakenly registered to vote after answering “No” when asked whether they were U.S. citizens during an MVC transaction between June 12, 2023, and June 25, 2024. According to Governor Mikie Sherrill, fewer than 400 of those individuals actually voted during that period.
A July 24 notice, printed on MVC letterhead and issued by the agency’s Legal Affairs Division, stated that a software error caused their information to be transmitted to the Statewide Voter Registration System despite their responses. However, the letters were not individually addressed and, according to Dorr, did not contain the authentication required by USCIS.
Could This Affect the Naturalization Process?
This is the question causing the greatest concern among those affected by the error. Form N-400, the application for U.S. citizenship, includes direct questions asking whether an applicant has ever registered to vote or voted in a U.S. election as a non-U.S. citizen. An inaccurate or unsupported answer to those questions could present a serious issue, creating the possibility of a denied application or allegations of false representation, or requiring those affected by this error to explain the circumstances surrounding their voter registration.
For now, there is no official answer to that question.
According to New Jersey Globe, USCIS’s refusal to accept these letters could create a new problem for non-U.S. citizens who were mistakenly placed on the voter rolls while going through the naturalization process.
The MVC letters were intended to serve as evidence that the voter registration resulted from a system error rather than any intentional action by the applicants. Now that USCIS has said it will not accept those letters because they are not personalized, there is a real possibility that some of the approximately 6,600 affected individuals may have to:
- provide additional explanations during their naturalization interview,
- obtain alternative documentation (such as an individually issued MVC letter bearing an official signature or seal instead of the generic notice),
- or face delays or additional complications in the naturalization process, despite having done nothing wrong.
At this time, it remains unclear whether USCIS will issue guidance on what documentation would be acceptable instead, or whether the MVC will be able to provide personalized letters to all 6,600 affected individuals.
Political Background
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill previously said that the registrations occurred “through no fault of their own.”She also stated that New Jersey would not prosecute individuals who were mistakenly registered to vote, while acknowledging that she could not speak on behalf of the U.S. Department of Justice, which has since requested the state’s unredacted voter rolls, citing the case as additional support in an ongoing legal dispute.
Meanwhile, New Jersey State Senator Michael Testa (R–Vineland) has argued that individuals who voted illegally should be prosecuted.
What Comes Next
USCIS’s response raises the question of whether the MVC will issue new, personalized letters bearing an official signature or seal that federal immigration officials will accept. For many of the approximately 6,600 affected individuals, such documentation could prove crucial in demonstrating that the voter registration error was not their fault at a time when their immigration status is under increased scrutiny.
Source: New Jersey Globe.
Screenshot source: X / @wildstein.