DHS Orders ICE To Deport Noncitizens Convicted Of Illegal Voting
The Department of Homeland Security on Monday, June 8, 2026, directed Immigration and Customs Enforcement to deport undocumented immigrants and other noncitizens convicted of illegally voting in U.S. elections.[1]
DHS General Counsel James Percival sent the instruction in a June 8 letter that tied illegal voting to false claims of U.S. citizenship and cited parts of the Immigration and Nationality Act as removal grounds.[1] DHS framed the move as implementing President Trump's March 25, 2025 executive order on election integrity and directed ICE to prioritize enforcement in these cases.[1]
On March 25, 2025, President Trump issued Executive Order 14248, "Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections." The order told the Department of Homeland Security to give the attorney general information on foreign nationals who had registered or voted and to prioritize enforcement of laws barring noncitizen voting.
In March 2026, ICE and the FBI arrested Mauritanian national Mahady Sacko in Philadelphia and charged him with fraudulent voting in the 2024 federal election.[1] Prosecutors say he cast ballots in every presidential election since 2008 despite a 2000 deportation order.[1]
Similar charges against four other noncitizens were filed in May 2026, and DHS said the directive provides ICE with legal guidance to pursue removal in comparable cases.[1]
The mainstream summary emphasizes the directive from DHS and its connection to President Trump's executive order, but it does not address the broader context of noncitizen voting in the U.S. Data from the Election Innovation & Research shows that instances of noncitizen voting are exceedingly rare, with only 16 noncitizens identified as having voted among 7.2 million registered voters in Michigan, representing just 0.00028% of the votes cast in 2024. This starkly contrasts with the framing of a widespread issue that necessitates such enforcement actions, suggesting that the government's focus on deporting noncitizens for illegal voting may be disproportionate to the actual prevalence of the problem.[2]
Furthermore, while the summary mentions the arrests of noncitizens for voting fraud, it overlooks the Heritage Foundation's documentation of only 99 instances of noncitizens voting since the 1980s, raising questions about the justification for the aggressive enforcement approach. This indicates that the political motivations behind the directive may be more about reinforcing a narrative around election integrity amid rising populism and demographic shifts than addressing a significant legal issue.[3]
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📊 Relevant Data
State audits and reviews in 2025 identified small numbers of potential noncitizen registrants or voters relative to total rolls, including 16 apparent noncitizens who cast ballots out of 7.2 million registered voters in Michigan (0.00028% of 2024 votes cast) and 20 noncitizens registered out of 8.2 million in Georgia, with only 9 having voted (most prior to 2012 verification improvements).
Update: Review of Claims of Noncitizen Registrants and Voters — Election Innovation & Research (CEIR)
The Heritage Foundation's election fraud database documented at least 99 instances of noncitizens voting in U.S. elections as of February 2026, spanning cases since the 1980s.
Debate over the prevalence of noncitizen voting — Ballotpedia
📌 Key Facts
- On Monday, June 8, 2026, DHS General Counsel James Percival sent a letter directing ICE to enforce deportation against undocumented immigrants and other noncitizens who illegally vote in U.S. elections.
- The letter links illegal voting to false claims of U.S. citizenship and cites Immigration and Nationality Act provisions making such conduct grounds for removal.
- DHS framed the move as an implementation step of President Trump’s March 2025 executive order on election integrity, which emphasized preventing noncitizen voting.
- The article references recent cases, including Mauritanian citizen Mahady Sacko, charged in March 2026 with illegally voting in every presidential election since 2008, and four noncitizens charged in May with illegal voting and false statements.
📰 Source Timeline (1)
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