DOJ Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Noncitizen Voting Ahead of Midterms

The Trump administration is stepping up its efforts to protect the integrity of America’s elections as the 2026 midterms draw closer.

The Justice Department announced charges last week against 16 individuals across seven states over alleged election-related offenses. Several defendants are noncitizens accused of unlawfully registering to vote, casting ballots in federal elections or falsely claiming U.S. citizenship.

The cases in Texas, Idaho, Georgia, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, New Jersey and Michigan are part of the administration’s expanding enforcement campaign against election fraud.

According to the Justice Department, the allegations include illegal voting by noncitizens, fraudulent claims of citizenship and false statements made during the naturalization process.

Some cases also involve alleged wire fraud, passport fraud, identification-document offenses and firearms violations.

Eight noncitizens residing in Texas were among those charged.

Federal prosecutors in Georgia separately charged three noncitizens with allegedly voting in federal elections. The defendants originally came from Mexico, Venezuela, and Antigua and Barbuda, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.

Among them is Analiea Milliscent Eccles, a Venezuelan national and recipient of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, commonly known as DACA.

Prosecutors allege that Eccles registered to vote and cast nine ballots between 2008 and 2024 despite not being an American citizen. She has been charged with voting as a noncitizen and falsely claiming U.S. citizenship in connection with voting.

The charges remain allegations and have not been proven in court.

Another case centers on Avila Gomez, a Mexican national residing in Idaho. Federal prosecutors allege that Gomez falsely represented himself as a U.S. citizen while registering to vote and later participated in elections held in May 2022 and November 2024.

That case also includes allegations involving wire fraud, passport fraud, fraudulent identification documents and firearms.

In New Jersey, federal prosecutors charged lawful permanent resident Santana Coulibaly with election-related and naturalization offenses.

Authorities allege that Coulibaly registered to vote in 2016, participated in the 2018 and 2020 federal elections and submitted a provisional ballot during the 2024 presidential election. Prosecutors further claim that she made false statements while going through the naturalization process.

The newly announced charges follow several other election-related prosecutions brought by the Justice Department in September.

On Sept. 14, the department unveiled charges against six defendants in California, Kansas and Louisiana. Those cases included allegations that individuals were paid to sign California ballot petitions using stolen voter identities, along with accusations that noncitizens illegally voted in Kansas and Louisiana.

Earlier in the month, five people in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Wisconsin were charged in cases involving suspected illegal voting or fraudulent voter registrations tied to the 2022 or 2024 elections.

Enforcing federal laws against noncitizen voting has become a major priority for President Donald J. Trump’s administration.

Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald told Fox News that the administration has charged 50 noncitizens with illegally voting.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said federal authorities have more than 1,620 open cases and have made 151 arrests. Officials are also reviewing hundreds of thousands of additional suspected violations.

Those numbers reflect arrests, investigations and suspected offenses—not convictions or legally proven instances of unlawful voting.

The Justice Department has also put state election officials on notice that knowingly permitting ineligible noncitizens to remain on voter rolls or participate in elections could expose officials to potential criminal liability.

Letters sent to election officials in all 50 states over the summer requested explanations of how their jurisdictions were complying with federal election laws.

Federal law generally prohibits noncitizens from voting in elections for president, vice president and members of Congress. Violating the federal prohibition can result in a fine and up to one year in prison.