A Department of Homeland Security general counsel warned noncitizens against voting illegally, saying federal authorities will track them down, charge them and deport them. James Percival made the remarks on Saturday during an appearance on "My View with Lara Trump," as the country prepares for Tuesday's midterm elections.
"Our message now is, whether it's now or later, if you illegally cast a vote, we will find you, we will charge you, and we will deport you," Percival said. His comments follow a Wednesday DHS press release announcing that dozens of noncitizens had been arrested on charges related to the agency's nationwide voter fraud crackdown. Percival also said more than 200 people have been charged in connection with noncitizen voter fraud, a figure that places the enforcement effort well beyond the arrests announced in the release.
In the press release, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin credited the work of ICE agents, whom he described as "the patriots of ICE." "The patriots of ICE have arrested dozens of noncitizens who illegally voted in American elections," Mullin said. "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." According to DHS, several of those arrested also had criminal records involving offenses ranging from drug crimes to sex offenses. The agency's framing ties the crackdown directly to the integrity of the upcoming vote, presenting it as a defense of citizen ballots.
The administration's effort to identify suspected noncitizen voters has drawn pushback from some state election officials. Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs challenged findings from the Justice Department after federal officials said investigators had identified more than 400 noncitizens illegally registered to vote in the state, some of whom they said had cast ballots in multiple elections dating back decades. Hobbs said the state's review of the list uncovered "several glaring deficiencies."
"This list includes United States citizens and is not reliable," Hobbs said. "Without individualized proof of ineligibility, it would be both irresponsible and illegal for election officials to decline to process a registered voter's ballot." He argued that the state's analysis showed a significant number of people on the list were not currently registered to vote or were on inactive status. That finding, he said, contradicted federal representations that all individuals on the list would receive a ballot in this year's election.
The dispute highlights a central tension in the debate over voter rolls: federal investigators say they have identified unlawful registrations and votes, while state officials contend that list-based findings can sweep in eligible citizens without individualized verification. Percival's remarks and the DHS release make clear that federal enforcement will continue regardless of when violations are discovered, a position that puts the question of how those cases are verified at the center of the coming election period.