DOGE Assists in Arrest of Two Ukrainians for Alleged Illegal Voting in 2024 Election
Two Ukrainian nationals who allegedly cast unlawful ballots in the 2024 U.S. presidential election have been taken into federal custody—thanks in large part to a controversial initiative launched under former President Donald Trump.
On Tuesday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced the arrests, carried out in coordination with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a Trump-era agency created to cut bureaucratic waste and now increasingly involved in immigration enforcement and election oversight.
“In partnership with @DOGE, @ICEgov arrested two Ukrainian nationals for illegally VOTING in the 2024 election,” Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem posted on X (formerly Twitter). “Under President Donald Trump, if you come to our country and break our laws, you will face the consequences.”
DOGE was founded on January 20 by executive order following discussions between President Trump and tech billionaire Elon Musk. Initially conceived as a cost-cutting body to streamline federal operations, DOGE has since expanded its reach to include direct involvement in immigration crackdowns and election security.
Members of the department reportedly have sweeping influence across numerous federal agencies. They have veto power over initiatives involving climate policy, scientific research, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. More recently, the group has played a role in identifying potential immigration violations.
Tuesday’s detentions mark the first public case where DOGE’s internal intelligence capabilities directly led to enforcement actions tied to voter fraud.
During his second term, Trump has placed a strong emphasis on protecting the integrity of U.S. elections, promising serious consequences for foreign nationals who attempt to interfere in the democratic process.
The former president and his allies have long accused the previous Biden administration of neglecting election security. They argue that Democrats failed to take sufficient action to address vulnerabilities.
Since returning to office in January, Trump has aggressively pursued a platform focused on border control, streamlining government, and safeguarding the electoral system. These moves have drawn intense reactions from both supporters and critics.
Among Trump’s hallmark policies is a clampdown on illegal immigration, particularly at the southern border. Roughly 139,000 people have been deported since the beginning of the year, underscoring a dramatic pivot toward stricter immigration measures.
Federal agents, often backed by military support, are deployed to sanctuary cities that do not collaborate with immigration authorities. A new directive also publicly identifies local officials who obstruct federal enforcement, increasing pressure and transparency in affected jurisdictions.
The administration has even revived the 1798 Alien Enemies Act to speed up removals in cases deemed national security threats, such as among Venezuelan asylum seekers.
Elon Musk has also remained a prominent figure in DOGE’s mission. Earlier this month, he drew attention after questioning how some members of Congress have accumulated substantial wealth despite earning relatively modest public salaries.
According to the New York Post, Musk indicated that DOGE would be looking into how several lawmakers—Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)—may have benefited from U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) funds.
In response to a question at a public event, Musk elaborated: “Yeah, so,” he began, gathering his thoughts. “There is a massive amount of corruption, but it is circuitous. So what happens is there’s money that — obviously it’s your taxpayer money — that is then sent to various government organizations who then send it to NGO’s, which an NGO is a non-governmental organization, but obviously it’s a government-funded non-governmental organization.”
He continued, “It’s just an organization. It’s just a government, and effectively there’s a giant fraud loophole which is that the government can send money to an NGO that is then no longer governed by the laws of the United States.”