New Jersey Assemblyman Paul Kanitra (R-Point Pleasant) is calling for a federal investigation into New Jersey’s motor vehicle and voter registration systems, saying a state error that registered thousands of noncitizens to vote raises questions about the accuracy of voter rolls and other government records.

Kanitra made the demand after releasing the second edition of his office’s report on the costs of illegal immigration in New Jersey. He is asking the U.S. Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security and U.S. House Judiciary Committee to investigate the state’s systems.

The Republican lawmaker’s request follows an admission by Governor Mikie Sherrill’s administration that the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission improperly registered about 6,600 noncitizens to vote. Nearly 400 of those individuals are known to have cast ballots, according to the administration.

Kanitra said the figure may not represent the full extent of the problem.

“Trenton has shown us it either can’t or won’t get to the bottom of this,” Kanitra said. “New Jersey has issued driver’s licenses to well over 100,000 illegal aliens since 2021. If the state’s own system failed to screen out 6,600 noncitizen voter registrations, taxpayers have every reason to ask how many more are sitting on the rolls right now.”

Kanitra said he has asked for federal assistance in obtaining MVC records and reviewing the roughly 75,000 people who are excused from jury duty each year after identifying themselves as noncitizens. He wants to determine whether any of those individuals also appear on voter registration rolls.

He also has offered data and testimony to the House Judiciary Committee and supports additional pressure on the Sherrill administration beyond an August 21 deadline set by U.S. Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J.

The report released by Kanitra’s office estimates that illegal immigration costs New Jersey about $8.2 billion annually. The report attributes the costs to education, health care, housing and other government services.

According to the report, illegal immigration costs taxpayers about $1,700 per worker and $2,300 per household each year. Kanitra’s office said those costs have increased even as the overall number of undocumented immigrants living in New Jersey has declined because of increased federal immigration enforcement.

The report estimates that K-12 education accounts for $7.14 billion, or nearly 87%, of the total annual cost. That figure includes the costs of educating children who are in the country illegally as well as U.S.-born children of undocumented immigrants, according to the report.

Kanitra’s report also estimates that hospitals and emergency rooms provided about $72 million in emergency services to undocumented immigrants in 2024, which the report says represents a nearly 140% increase from levels recorded during the first Trump administration.

State spending on legal defense programs for immigrants facing deportation has increased more than eightfold since 2018, according to the report.

The report also argues that illegal immigration has contributed to rising housing costs, citing a national analysis that attributes about 20% of rent growth and 30% of home-price growth to undocumented immigrants. Kanitra’s office said the impact could be greater in New Jersey because of conditions in the New York metropolitan area.

The report further concludes that taxes paid by undocumented immigrants cover only about 16% of the costs identified in the analysis.

Kanitra said the findings support legislation he has introduced that would require hospitals to collect immigration-status information, exclude noncitizens from population counts used for redistricting and allow local law enforcement agencies to cooperate with federal immigration authorities.

“Every legal New Jerseyan’s wallet has been emptied to pay for illegals,” Kanitra said. “Return all their money. Send every invader home.”

The report’s estimates and conclusions are based on Kanitra’s office’s analysis and cited outside data; the press release did not include an independent assessment of the figures.