New DHS Directive Focuses On Illegal Immigrant Voting

The Department of Homeland Security has instructed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to prioritize the removal of undocumented immigrants who illegally vote in American elections.

In a letter sent Monday to ICE leadership, DHS General Counsel James Percival directed the agency to enforce tougher penalties against people living unlawfully in the United States who fraudulently cast ballots. Those penalties include deportation.

The directive points to the Immigration and Nationality Act, which provides for the removal of noncitizens who illegally vote in U.S. elections.

DHS said illegal voting and false claims of U.S. citizenship often occur together. Federal law already bars noncitizens from voting in federal elections, and many state laws prohibit noncitizens from voting in state-level contests as well.

“The importance of free, fair, and honest elections is without question,” Percival said in the letter, echoing language used by President Donald Trump. He said the right of American citizens to have their votes counted without what he described as “illegal dilution” is central to determining election outcomes.

“Illegal voting by aliens dilutes the votes of American citizens and undermines our democracy,” Percival added. “It must have consequences.”

According to DHS, the new directive is meant to help carry out policies similar to those laid out in Trump’s March 2025 executive order, “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections.”

That order called for broad changes to election procedures, including voter registration rules, voting machine standards and mail-in ballot policies. The administration has said the goal is to prevent noncitizen voting and reduce errors in the election system.

The DHS move comes after several recent cases in which undocumented immigrants or other noncitizens were accused of voting illegally in U.S. elections.

In March, authorities charged Mauritanian citizen Mahady Sacko in connection with voter fraud. Officials said at the time that Sacko was accused of voting in every presidential election since 2008.