DHS Opens 2020 Arizona Election Investigation

✅   VERIFIED REPORTING — ALL CLAIMS CONFIRMED AGAINST MULTIPLE INDEPENDENT SOURCES   ✅

What HSI Is Doing, Why It’s Unprecedented, and What the Evidence Actually Shows

📰  WHAT’S HAPPENING — AT A GLANCE • The investigative arm of DHS — Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) — has opened a review of Arizona’s 2020 election. • Arizona AG Kris Mayes confirmed the investigation to ABC News. The Atlantic first reported it. • HSI normally investigates transnational crime (trafficking, cartels, cybercrime) — NOT election results. • The investigation was launched roughly one week after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visited an HSI field office in Scottsdale, Arizona in mid-February 2026. • Arizona’s prior AG (Republican Mark Brnovich) already spent 10,000 hours investigating 2020 election claims — and found no evidence of widespread fraud that could have changed the outcome. • Separately, the FBI seized 700+ boxes of 2020 ballots from Fulton County, Georgia, on January 28, 2026. • Multiple audits, recounts, court rulings, and state investigations have confirmed the 2020 results in both states. • Democrats and election experts call both probes politically motivated. DHS says it is ‘rooting out election fraud.’

Introduction: Why This Story Matters

Six years after the 2020 presidential election, federal investigators are re-examining ballots, subpoenaing records, and seizing original election materials from states that Joe Biden carried. It’s happening in Georgia. It’s happening in Arizona. And it’s raising serious questions about the role of federal law enforcement in elections.

On March 11, 2026, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes confirmed that Homeland Security Investigations — an agency better known for busting drug cartels than reviewing ballots — is actively probing her state’s 2020 election results. That same day, Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen revealed he had recently complied with a separate federal grand jury subpoena for records from the Maricopa County audit.

This is not a hoax, a rumor, or a political claim. It is a real and confirmed development, reported by ABC News, The Atlantic, Votebeat, NBC News, and multiple other credible outlets. What is deeply contested is what it means — and what it’s based on.

This article explains all of it, clearly and thoroughly.

1. The HSI Arizona Investigation: What We Know

How the Investigation Came to Light

The Atlantic first reported the HSI investigation on March 11, 2026. Arizona AG Mayes promptly confirmed it to ABC News and issued a public statement. The story was then verified by NBC News, Votebeat, Democracy Docket, and multiple Arizona outlets.

According to records obtained by Votebeat through a public records request, HSI acting Special Agent in Charge Matthew Murphy — the top HSI official for Arizona — personally notified Mayes’ office about the investigation. A state investigator asked Murphy why the government was reviewing results that had already been heavily litigated. Murphy reportedly said he was acting on ‘direction from D.C.’

What Records Were Requested

HSI requested public records from Mayes’ office related to the 2020 election investigation previously conducted under her Republican predecessor, Mark Brnovich. On February 20, 2026, a state special agent emailed Murphy with the subject line ‘2020 Election Audit Summary’ — attaching a report Mayes had publicly released in February 2023.

Mayes’ office said it was ‘happy to share’ the materials, because they document what was already found: no widespread fraud.

📋  TIMELINE OF THE HSI ARIZONA INVESTIGATION Feb. 13, 2026 — Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem holds election-security press conference at HSI field office in Scottsdale, AZ. Feb. 13, 2026 — Noem calls Arizona elections ‘an absolute disaster’ and urges passage of the SAVE America Act. Feb. 20, 2026 — HSI’s Matthew Murphy meets with Arizona AG’s office. State investigators send him the 2020 election audit summary. ~Late Feb. 2026 — Murphy notifies Mayes’ office that HSI is formally probing Arizona’s 2020 election results. Mar. 10, 2026 — Arizona Senate President Warren Petersen says he complied with a grand jury subpoena for Maricopa audit records. Mar. 10, 2026 — AG Mayes and Sec. of State Fontes warn county recorders not to turn over voter rolls to federal agents. Mar. 11, 2026 — The Atlantic first reports the HSI investigation. Mayes confirms it publicly. Mar. 11, 2026 — DHS says it cannot comment on ‘active investigations’ but is ‘rooting out election fraud.’ Mar. 14, 2026 — Scope of HSI investigation still officially undisclosed.

2. Who Is HSI — and Why Does This Matter?

Homeland Security Investigations is the investigative arm of ICE — Immigration and Customs Enforcement — and one of the largest federal law enforcement agencies in the United States. It has over 10,000 employees and 400 offices around the world.

HSI’s primary mission is transnational crime. Think: drug trafficking, human smuggling, cybercrime, weapons trafficking, financial fraud, and terrorism financing. Election oversight is not in its standard portfolio.

HSI’s Typical Mission	What It’s Doing Now
Transnational drug trafficking	Investigating 6-year-old election results
Human smuggling networks	Reviewing state election records
Cybercrime and financial fraud	Examining voter fraud allegations from 2020
Weapons trafficking	Requesting records from state attorneys general
Terrorist financing	Acting on ‘direction from D.C.’ per reporting

HSI does have the authority to investigate voter fraud — but specifically in cases involving noncitizens illegally voting. The agency has handled a small number of such cases. What is unusual, experts note, is using HSI to broadly probe election results from a specific cycle rather than pursue individual fraud cases through normal investigative channels.

💬  WHY EXPERTS CALL THIS UNUSUAL “HSI investigating election results directly — rather than specific, identified cases of voter fraud — is highly unusual. The agency’s authority extends to noncitizen voting, but a broad review of a state’s election outcomes is a fundamental departure from its normal mandate.” — Multiple election law experts cited in Democracy Docket, The Atlantic, and Votebeat, March 2026   A DHS spokesperson’s only statement: HSI “is actively rooting out and investigating election fraud wherever it can be found.” DHS declined to answer specific questions about scope, mandate, or legal basis. — Votebeat, March 11, 2026

3. Noem’s Arizona Visit: The Political Context

The timing of the HSI investigation is notable. It was launched approximately one week after outgoing DHS Secretary Kristi Noem held what one observer called an ‘extraordinary’ press conference — at an HSI field office in Scottsdale, Arizona — on February 13, 2026.

Noem used the event as a platform to promote the SAVE America Act, a voter ID bill that election experts have described as the most restrictive voting legislation ever considered by Congress. She declared that Arizona had been ‘an absolute disaster on elections’ and alleged widespread noncitizen voter fraud in the state.

When reporters pressed Noem to cite specific examples of voter fraud cases in Arizona, she replied: ‘I’m sure there are many of them’ — without naming a single case.

Before and after the press conference, Noem met with a handful of far-right election deniers, including Justin Heap, the Maricopa County Recorder. Several days later, Heap’s office issued a press release claiming it had identified 137 noncitizens registered to vote in Maricopa County, 60 of whom had voted in prior elections. That claim has not been independently verified.

⚠   KEY CONTEXT ON THE NOEM VISIT Noem was reportedly fighting to keep her job at DHS when she made this Arizona trip. Election security experts noted that the event looked more like a political rally than a law enforcement briefing. Noem could not name specific voter fraud cases when directly asked by reporters. HSI headquarters and the DOJ’s Office of the Deputy Attorney General are coordinating the probe, per The Atlantic. The investigation appears to have been initiated following ‘direction from D.C.’ — not organic field-level inquiry.

4. What Arizona’s Prior Investigation Actually Found

Before HSI opened its probe, Arizona’s 2020 election had already been subjected to one of the most extensive post-election reviews in American history. Here is the documented record.

The Brnovich Investigation (2021-2022)

Republican Arizona AG Mark Brnovich — who had every political incentive to find fraud — conducted a comprehensive, 10,000-hour investigation of 2020 election claims. The investigation examined claims ranging from ‘bamboo ballots imported from China’ to ‘Italian spy satellites flipping votes.’ Every single claim was investigated. The conclusion: no evidence of widespread fraud that could have changed the election’s outcome.

The Cyber Ninjas Audit (2021)

The Arizona State Senate hired Cyber Ninjas — a Florida-based cybersecurity firm with no previous election audit experience — to conduct a partisan review of Maricopa County’s 2020 results. The audit, which took months and cost over $9 million, ultimately confirmed Biden’s win in Arizona. Cyber Ninjas subsequently went out of business.

Court Rulings

Trump and his allies filed more than 60 lawsuits seeking to challenge the 2020 results. Virtually every case was dismissed — including challenges to Arizona’s results — by both Republican and Democratic-appointed judges. Courts found no credible evidence of fraud sufficient to alter the outcome.

✅  WHAT EVERY ARIZONA INVESTIGATION FOUND ✓  Arizona AG Brnovich investigation (10,000 hours): No widespread fraud. No basis to change results. ✓  Cyber Ninjas partisan audit (2021): Confirmed Biden’s win in Arizona. ✓  60+ legal challenges nationwide: Nearly all dismissed for lack of evidence. ✓  Multiple recounts and canvasses: Results certified by Republican-appointed election officials. ✓  AG Kris Mayes (current): ‘Those conclusions were true then and they remain true now.’

5. The Georgia Parallel: FBI Seizure of Fulton County Ballots

The Arizona HSI investigation doesn’t exist in isolation. In January 2026, federal agents carried out an equally unprecedented action in Georgia — seizing more than 650-700 boxes of original 2020 election materials from Fulton County’s elections hub.

What Happened in Fulton County

• January 28, 2026: FBI executed a search warrant at the Fulton County Election Hub and Operations Center, seizing 650-700 boxes of ballots, tabulator tapes, and voter rolls.
• The warrant was signed by Magistrate Judge Catherine Salinas and authorized the FBI to seize ‘all physical ballots from the 2020 General Election.’
• Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard attended the raid at Trump’s direction. Trump personally called and thanked agents on the ground.
• The investigation originated from a referral by Kurt Olsen — a White House lawyer whom Trump charged with reinvestigating the 2020 election.
• Fulton County sued to get the records back. A Trump-appointed federal judge scheduled a hearing to compel the FBI agent who wrote the search warrant affidavit to testify.

The Problem With the FBI’s Affidavit

An NPR analysis of the unsealed FBI affidavit found that it cited fraud claims that had already been investigated and debunked by Georgia state law enforcement — while omitting key findings that undercut those same claims.

Former U.S. Assistant Attorney Andrew Weissmann reviewed the affidavit and said he could not think of another warrant that omitted standard information about the credibility and potential bias of its sources. Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger — a Republican who famously refused Trump’s demand to ‘find’ votes — called the probe a waste of time.

💬  KEY QUOTES ON THE GEORGIA RAID “Instead of wasting time and tax dollars trying to change the past with baseless and repackaged claims, let’s focus our efforts on building a safer, more affordable future for all hardworking Georgians.” — Georgia Sec. of State Brad Raffensperger (Republican), February 2026   “These are the original voting records, original absentee ballots.” — Fulton County Commissioner Marvin Arrington, January 28, 2026   “Fulton County’s 2020 elections have been examined. They have been re-examined. They’ve been audited. There have been hand counts under a microscope, and in every instance, we come up clean.” — Fulton County Commission Chair Robb Pitts, February 2026

6. The Broader Pattern: How These Probes Connect

Arizona and Georgia are not the only targets. The Trump administration has launched a broad, multi-agency effort to re-examine the 2020 election across several states. Here’s the full picture.

State / Target	Agency	Action
Georgia — Fulton County	FBI	Seized 650-700 boxes of ballots and election materials (Jan. 28, 2026)
Arizona — statewide	HSI (DHS/ICE)	Opened review of 2020 election results (Feb.–Mar. 2026)
Arizona — Maricopa County	FBI (separate probe)	Separate investigation per ABC News. Not a joint probe with HSI.
Arizona — State Senate	DOJ grand jury	Subpoena for records from 2021 Cyber Ninjas audit, complied with March 2026
Puerto Rico — voting equipment	ODNI	Examination of voting machines opened in late 2025
20+ states	DOJ	Lawsuits to obtain unredacted voter rolls with SSNs, dates of birth

The common thread: investigations in states that proved central to Trump’s 2020 loss, involving agencies and personnel who answer to Trump appointees, focused on claims that have previously been investigated and rejected.

7. Legal and Constitutional Concerns

Federalism: Who Controls Elections?

Under the U.S. Constitution, election administration is primarily a state responsibility. The federal government has a narrow — and historically respected — role. Critics argue the current investigations represent an unprecedented expansion of federal power into state-administered elections.

Trump has publicly called for ‘nationalizing’ elections and posted on social media that states are ‘merely an agent of the federal government in counting and tabulating the votes’ — a constitutional claim that virtually every election law expert says is wrong.

Voter Privacy Concerns

A central legal battleground is voter rolls — specifically whether the federal government can demand unredacted records containing Social Security numbers, dates of birth, and driver’s license information. Most states have refused on privacy grounds. Two federal courts have already ruled the administration is not entitled to this data. The DOJ has sued Georgia and 20+ other states.

The NAACP, the ACLU, and Fulton County itself have all filed legal motions arguing that the FBI’s seizure of Fulton County ballots violated constitutional protections of privacy and the right to vote.

The Midterm Election Question

Perhaps the deepest concern among election experts is what happens next. The Brennan Center for Justice warned in February 2026 that if the FBI can claim authority to seize election materials under a fraud investigation — with votes still being counted in the 2026 midterms — it is not hard to imagine the same power being used while ballots are being tabulated.

⚠   BRENNAN CENTER FOR JUSTICE WARNING “If the FBI is now claiming authority to take election materials under the guise of fraud investigations, it’s not hard to imagine it trying to do so while the 2026 midterm votes are being counted. Trump demanded as much in 2020, and his then-attorney general rejected that as unlawful.” — Wendy R. Weiser, Brennan Center for Justice, February 2026

8. What Both Sides Are Saying

Critics’ Position	Administration’s Position
Politically motivated. Designed to cast doubt on 2020 ahead of 2026 midterms.	Committed to ‘election integrity’ and ensuring only citizens vote.
Based on claims already investigated and rejected by Republican officials.	HSI has authority and evidence to pursue voting-related fraud.
Unprecedented misuse of federal law enforcement against state election processes.	Every American deserves confidence in election results.
Voter intimidation risk: chilling effect on future election workers.	Prior investigations were conducted by Democratic-aligned officials.
Omits key findings from state probes (per NPR analysis of FBI affidavit).	The SAVE America Act would ‘restore integrity’ to elections.

AG Mayes’ full statement: ‘The Trump administration is engaged in an unserious investigation into an election that took place six years ago based on nothing but conspiracy theories and lies. Those conclusions were true then and they remain true now. There was no evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election in Arizona.’

DHS spokesperson statement: ‘HSI is actively rooting out and investigating election fraud wherever it can be found. We have repeatedly demonstrated that illegal aliens can and do vote in our elections. Under President Trump, HSI is committed to restoring integrity to our election systems and ensuring that American citizens and only American citizens are electing American leaders.’

9. The 2020 Election in Arizona and Georgia: The Evidence Record

What has every legitimate investigation of the 2020 election in Arizona and Georgia actually found? Here is the factual record, across years of litigation, auditing, and review.

Investigation / Review	Who Conducted It	Finding
Brnovich AG investigation	Republican AG Mark Brnovich	No widespread fraud. No basis to alter results. (10,000 hours)
Cyber Ninjas partisan audit	Trump-aligned firm, Arizona State Senate	Confirmed Biden’s Arizona win.
Maricopa County hand count	County election officials	Consistent with certified results.
60+ federal/state lawsuits	Trump and allies	Nearly all dismissed. No credible evidence found.
Georgia Raffensperger audits	Republican GA Secretary of State	Certified Biden’s win. Recounts confirmed results.
Georgia SOS 2024 investigation	Secretary of State office	‘Findings do not affect the accuracy of the 2020 General Election in Fulton County.’
Georgia State Election Board	Bipartisan state body	Declined to take control of Fulton County elections (Feb. 2026).
FBI affidavit review (NPR)	Independent journalism	Affidavit cited debunked claims; omitted key findings.

10. Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)?

HSI is the investigative arm of ICE — Immigration and Customs Enforcement. With over 10,000 employees and 400 global offices, it is one of America’s largest federal law enforcement agencies. Its primary focus is transnational crime: drug trafficking, human smuggling, cybercrime, weapons trafficking, and financial fraud. It has some authority over noncitizen voter fraud but does not normally investigate election results.

Q: Did Arizona’s 2020 election actually have fraud problems?

No investigation — including one conducted by a Republican attorney general who spent 10,000 hours examining every specific claim — found evidence of widespread fraud sufficient to change the outcome. The Cyber Ninjas partisan audit, despite being funded by Trump allies, confirmed Biden’s win. Courts dismissed every legal challenge.

Q: Why did Arizona AG Kris Mayes share records with HSI?

Mayes said the records HSI requested were already public documents from her predecessor’s investigation. She was ‘happy to share them because those materials speak for themselves’ — meaning they document the lack of fraud, not the presence of it. She did not provide any sensitive, non-public voter data.

Q: Is the FBI’s Georgia probe and the HSI Arizona probe connected?

According to reporting, they are not a joint investigation — but they share a broader coordinating structure. The HSI Arizona probe is being coordinated between HSI headquarters and the DOJ’s Office of the Deputy Attorney General. The FBI Georgia probe was initiated by a referral from White House lawyer Kurt Olsen. Both fall under the Trump administration’s broad push to re-examine 2020 results.

Q: Can the federal government demand voter rolls with Social Security numbers?

This is being litigated. Most states have refused, citing privacy laws. Two federal courts have already ruled the administration is not entitled to unredacted voter data containing SSNs and dates of birth. The DOJ has filed lawsuits against Georgia and 20+ other states to obtain these records. No final national ruling has been issued.

Q: What is the SAVE America Act?

The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act is a federal voter ID bill promoted by Secretary Noem and backed by the Trump administration. Election experts have described it as the most restrictive voting legislation ever seriously considered by Congress. It would require documentary proof of citizenship — such as a passport or birth certificate — to register to vote federally. Critics say it would disenfranchise millions of eligible citizens who lack easy access to such documents.

Q: Is noncitizen voting actually a widespread problem?

Research consistently shows that noncitizen voting is extremely rare. Noncitizens who are discovered voting face serious federal criminal penalties, which creates a powerful deterrent. HSI has arrested a small number of noncitizens for alleged voter fraud — but election researchers and DHS’s own prior data have found no evidence of noncitizen voting at a scale that could influence election outcomes.

11. Key Takeaways

📋  SUMMARY: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ✅  CONFIRMED: HSI — DHS’s investigative arm — is reviewing Arizona’s 2020 election results. ✅  CONFIRMED: AG Mayes confirmed to ABC News. The Atlantic first reported it. ✅  CONFIRMED: HSI normally investigates transnational crime. Probing election results is a significant departure. ✅  CONFIRMED: The investigation was launched ~1 week after Noem’s Scottsdale HSI field office visit. ✅  CONFIRMED: Murphy (HSI AZ) told state officials he was acting on ‘direction from D.C.’ ✅  CONFIRMED: Arizona’s prior AG (Republican) spent 10,000 hours on these same claims. Found no widespread fraud. ✅  CONFIRMED: FBI seized 650-700 boxes of Fulton County 2020 ballots on January 28, 2026. ✅  CONFIRMED: FBI affidavit cited previously debunked claims and omitted key state investigative findings (NPR). ✅  CONFIRMED: Fulton County is suing for return of records. A Trump-appointed judge has ordered FBI agent testimony. ✅  CONFIRMED: Two federal courts have ruled the administration cannot force states to hand over unredacted voter rolls.   ⚠   UNRESOLVED: Scope and legal basis of HSI Arizona probe not officially disclosed. ⚠   UNRESOLVED: Whether the FBI’s Fulton County warrant will survive legal scrutiny. ⚠   WATCH: 2026 midterms — election experts warn about potential federal interference during vote counting.

SOURCES

1. ABC News — ‘Trump administration opens investigation into Arizona’s 2020 election results,’ March 11, 2026
2. The Atlantic — ‘Arizona Is Now at the Center of Election Investigations,’ March 11, 2026 (first to report)
3. Votebeat / AZ Mirror — ‘Top Arizona officials urge counties to withhold voter data,’ March 11, 2026
4. Democracy Docket — ‘ICE’s investigative arm is now probing Arizona’s elections,’ March 12, 2026
5. NBC News / MS NOW — ‘Trump administration widens 2020 election probe in Arizona,’ March 11, 2026
6. NPR — ‘The FBI seizure of Georgia 2020 election ballots relies on debunked claims,’ Feb. 10, 2026
7. ABC News — ‘FBI seizes 2020 ballots in Georgia in apparently unprecedented action,’ Jan. 28, 2026
8. Democracy Docket — ‘Fulton County officials argue FBI agent misled judge to seize ballots,’ Feb. 2026
9. Brennan Center for Justice — ‘Trump Administration Escalates Election Meddling,’ Jan. 2026
10. ProPublica — ‘The Conservative Researcher Being Linked to the FBI’s Seizure,’ Feb. 2026
11. KTAR.com — ‘Arizona AG provides Homeland Security with 2020 election records,’ March 11, 2026

This article is independently researched and fact-checked using publicly available, credible sources. All statistics and quotes are attributed. Published March 14, 2026.