Days before midterms, ICE and DOJ announce new wave of noncitizen voting arrests

The Trump administration continues to investigate and arrest illegal immigrants accused of unlawfully registering to vote or voting in American elections.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced on Thursday that it had arrested dozens of illegal immigrants for alleged voter fraud, including many accused of actually casting a ballot illegally.

“These arrests, carried out in coordination with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners, are the result of careful, methodical investigations,” acting ICE Director David Venturella said in a press release. “American elections must be conducted in accordance with the law, and allegations of illegal voting deserve our undivided attention. When the facts support criminal charges, we pursue them. Every eligible voter deserves an election process that follows the law.”

Many illegal voters have criminal histories for violence, drug offenses

ICE provided 18 examples of illegal immigrants it has arrested on voter fraud charges, including many who not only voted illegally but also have been arrested for other crimes as well. 

Aden Hassan Aden, an illegal immigrant from Somalia, allegedly voted in the 2020 federal election and has convictions for domestic violence, drug possession, and larceny. Mai Tran, an illegal immigrant from Vietnam, allegedly voted in the 2024 federal election and, according to ICE, has been convicted of fraud, drug possession offenses, burglary, larceny, and illegal use of credit cards. 

Phath Vorn, an illegal immigrant from Cambodia, is accused of voting in the 1992 federal election and again, according to ICE, has convictions for assault with intent to murder, assault with a dangerous weapon, and possession of a weapon.

30 arrested in North Carolina alone

Along with ICE’s announcement, the Justice Department said Thursday that it had charged another 18 people for illegally voting in North Carolina. Some of those charged are accused of voting as an illegal immigrant or lawful permanent resident, a status that does not confer voting rights. The latest numbers bring the total of people arrested for illegally voting in North Carolina up to 30.

“Illegal voting is just that: illegal,” acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter said in a press release. “If you’re not an American citizen, you cannot vote in our federal elections. We want to prevent illegal voting from occurring, which is why we’ve now charged 30 people just in North Carolina who have violated our laws by illegally registering to vote and illegally voting. We need to preserve the integrity of the ballot box by ensuring only those eligible are casting ballots.”

As Just the News has previously reported, the Trump administration is cracking down on illegal immigrants who illegally vote in U.S. elections, particularly with the midterm elections just days away. In mid-October, DOJ announced that it had arrested 16 individuals across nine states for alleged election crimes, including fraudulent voter registration and illegal voting.

"Every illegal vote cancels out the vote of a lawful American citizen," a DOJ spokesperson told Just the News at the time. "In 2020, Iowa's 2nd Congressional District race was decided by six votes. The department is now bringing more than double that amount of election fraud cases every week. Every federal race also shares the ballot with state and local contests, which are often decided by even narrower margins."

DHS has 1,620 cases of voter fraud involving noncitizens, has made 151 arrests, is investigating 300,000 more

"Voting by noncitizens and other ineligible voters is a federal crime, and the department will enforce the law whether a case involves one illegal ballot or hundreds," the DOJ spokesperson said. "These prosecutions protect the integrity of our elections and deter others from breaking the law. That is exactly what Americans expect from their Justice Department."

Last month, Just the News reported that DOJ had arrested more than 200 people and secured indictments, with assurances that number would double.

Late last month, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin told Fox News that his agency is investigating 1,620 cases of voter fraud involving noncitizens and has made 151 arrests. He also said his agency is looking into an additional 300,000 cases based on states’ voter rolls.

"We're scrubbing them. We're comparing them to those that are in the country illegally, those that are legal permanent residents and those that are citizens," Mullin told Fox News contributor and former White House spokeswoman Kayleigh McEnany.