WASHINGTON — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has arrested dozens of noncitizens in connection with alleged voter fraud and other election-related offences across the United States, the Department of Homeland Security announced on Wednesday, October 28 — six days before the November 3 midterm elections — including a new batch of 13 cases in which people are accused of illegally registering to vote or casting ballots in American elections.
Source: Department of Homeland Security statement, via TriStar Daily
The Daily Caller, which obtained the case documents exclusively, reported that ICE arrested 13 noncitizens accused of voter fraud ahead of the 2026 midterms, and that at least 18 of the dozens of suspects arrested in the wider sweep had voted in a federal election, according to DHS statements to Fox News Digital reported separately. These are allegations and investigations, not convictions: the Caller itself noted that its documents do not establish that every individual named has been convicted of an election-related offence.
Source: Daily Caller, via DrRichSwier republication
What DHS Secretary Mullin and ICE's acting director said
"The patriots of ICE have arrested dozens of non-citizens who illegally voted in American elections," DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in the department's statement. "Some of them have criminal histories that include assault with a dangerous weapon, domestic violence, drug trafficking, burglary, and driving under the influence. The Trump Administration will not allow illegal aliens to steal the votes of hardworking American citizens. American elections are for Americans only." Those criminal-history descriptions are DHS's characterisations of the cases, attributed here to the department.
Acting ICE Director David J. Venturella told the Daily Caller that the investigations involved coordination with other law enforcement agencies. "These arrests, carried out in coordination with our federal, state and local law enforcement partners, are the result of careful, methodical investigations," Venturella said. "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."
The 13 cases DHS highlighted, case by case
According to DHS, Juan Carlos Matute-Hernandez, a national of Honduras, is accused of illegally voting in the 2026 election, and his record includes an arrest for driving offences. Aden Hassan Aden, a national of Somalia, is accused of illegally voting in the 2020 election; DHS says his criminal history includes convictions for domestic violence, drug possession and larceny. Arturo Salazar Garcia, a national of Mexico, is accused of illegally voting in the 2024 election, and Jaimie Sosa-Sardina, a national of Cuba, is also accused of illegally voting in 2024; DHS says Sosa-Sardina's history includes convictions for selling cocaine, battery and resisting an officer.
Marva Marie Cook, a national of Germany, is accused of illegally voting in the 2022 election, with a larceny conviction in her history, according to DHS. Braulio Osiel Zapata Perez, a national of Nicaragua, is accused of illegally voting in 2024, with an arrest for driving under the influence. Mai Tran, a national of Vietnam, is accused of illegally voting in 2024; DHS says her history includes convictions for fraud, numerous drug-possession charges, selling cocaine, burglary, larceny and illegal use of credit cards. Jose Luis Matute Chaviel, a national of Venezuela, is accused of illegally voting in 2024, with charges for DUI and cocaine possession, according to the department.
Phath Vorn, a national of Cambodia, is accused of illegally voting in the 1992 election — the oldest case in the list — with convictions, according to DHS, for assault with intent to murder, assault with a dangerous weapon and possession of a weapon. Axel Bemjarmin Alarcon Duarte, a national of Guatemala, is accused of illegally voting in 2024, with charges for DUI, assault and battery on a family member, and shoplifting. Darwin Yoel Zelaya-Orellana, a national of Honduras, is accused of illegally voting in the 2026 election, with a conviction for a third-degree sex offence, DHS says. Servando Alejandro-Torres, a national of Mexico, is accused of illegally voting in 2024, with convictions for disorderly conduct and bail jumping and charges for DUI. Jairo Ivan Vazquez Montano, a national of Mexico, is accused of illegally voting in the 2022 election, with arrests for kidnapping, DUI and an additional traffic offence, according to DHS.
DHS presents these 13 cases as examples of ongoing investigations and arrests. An arrest or an agency allegation is not a conviction. Each case will turn on its own evidence in court — including whether the person knowingly voted while ineligible, which is the element prosecutors must prove for a federal illegal-voting offence.
Background: a campaign that has been building all year
Wednesday's announcement is the latest step in a broader election-security campaign DHS itself listed alongside the arrests. In October, Homeland Security Investigations arrested five noncitizens charged with illegally voting in Florida, a naturalised citizen in New Jersey accused of voting in 2022 before her naturalisation, a Cuban national accused of voting in Missouri in 2022 and 2024, and a Portuguese national accused of voting in Pennsylvania in 2024. In September, Secretary Mullin and Attorney General Todd Blanche announced federal indictments against ten noncitizens for illegally voting in Minnesota, and HSI arrested Mukeshkumar Somabhai Chaudhari, a noncitizen from India, in Minnesota for allegedly making a false claim of U.S. citizenship to vote in the 2024 election — a case of direct interest to South Asian readers, reported here as an allegation.
DHS also pointed to system-level steps: in September the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency released its 2026 Election Infrastructure Security Plan; in July, Secretary Mullin sent letters to secretaries of state warning that tens of thousands of noncitizens are registered to vote; FEMA announced election-integrity requirements for grant recipients; and in June DHS directed ICE to enforce stricter penalties, including deportation, for noncitizens who illegally vote. Separately this week, the Justice Department asked Washington state to set aside ballots from more than 400 people it alleges registered without citizenship — a different, state-level action that Washington's Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said he was reviewing, and which Awaaz Punjab has reported separately.
Why this matters for diaspora readers — and what happens next
For Punjabi and other South Asian families in the United States — concentrated in California's Central Valley, New York, New Jersey, Texas, Illinois and Washington — the practical lesson is paperwork discipline, not panic. Only U.S. citizens may vote in federal elections. A noncitizen who registers or votes, even after being handed a registration form at a motor-vehicle office, can face criminal charges, loss of immigration benefits and deportation, and a false claim of citizenship can permanently bar naturalisation. Permanent residents should decline voter-registration offers, check that they have not been registered in error, and get immigration-law advice immediately if they have ever cast a ballot.
What happens next is two-track: the individual cases move through federal courts, where charges, pleas or dismissals will test DHS's allegations case by case, and the political fight continues into the November 3 midterms, with control of the U.S. Senate and House at stake. Awaaz Punjab will update this report as court filings or state responses confirm the next steps in these cases.