Federal prosecutors have charged two Ukrainian nationals with unlawfully voting in an American presidential election, the latest case of non-citizens allegedly participating in federal elections.
The Ukrainian women — 53-year-old Svitlana Demydenko and her 22-year-old daughter, Yelyzaveta Demydenko — are accused of voting in the 2024 presidential election in Palm Beach, Florida, on Oct. 31, according to the Justice Department. The pair made their initial appearance in West Palm Beach federal court on Tuesday.
In a public statement celebrating the charges, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said the Department of Government Efficiency, a cost-cutting initiative within the Trump administration better known as DOGE, assisted with the investigation.
“In partnership with [DOGE, Immigration and Customs Enforcement] arrested two Ukrainian nationals for illegally VOTING in the 2024 election,” Noem posted Tuesday on social media. “Under President Donald Trump, if you come to our country and break our laws, you will face the consequences.”
Under the Biden administration, Svitlana and Yelyzaveta lawfully entered the U.S. in April 2021 on non-immigrant visas, according to the DOJ. While residing in Florida in August 2024, the mother and daughter registered to vote in federal elections using a system that mandates certification of U.S. citizenship, which neither of the women had.
News of the Ukrainian nationals’ unlawful participation in the 2024 election came just a day after federal prosecutors revealed that an Iraqi man, Akeel Abdul Jamiel, allegedly voted illegally in the 2020 U.S. election.
Jamiel — a 45-year-old Iraqi national who is not an American citizen — knowingly voted on or around Nov. 3, 2020, in the presidential elections held that year in Saratoga County, New York, according to federal court documents. He is not currently living in the U.S. any longer and federal prosecutors have yet to take him into custody.
“Election security is and will continue to be one of the FBI’s highest national security priorities,” FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig Tremaroli said in regard to Jamiel’s charges. “Americans have a right to expect free and fair elections and the FBI is committed to working with our partners to seek justice for anyone trying to interfere with the democratic process.”
Amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, thousands of Ukrainians have sought haven within the U.S. In the waning days of his administration, President Joe Biden extended Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Ukraine, a decree allowing more than 100,000 Ukrainian nationals under TPS to remain in the U.S. for at least another 18 months.
The charges against Jamiel and the Ukrainian women come after the House of Representatives on April 10 passed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, legislation that calls on states to obtain proof of citizenship prior to registering an individual for any federal election and require state officials to remove all non-citizens from existing voter rolls. The bill remains incredibly unpopular with the Democratic lawmakers, with just four House Democrats joining their GOP counterparts in voting in favor of the legislation.
“If Republicans don’t get the SAVE Act, and every ounce of it, they should not agree to a Continuing Resolution in any way, shape, or form,” President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social in September, referring to a previous version of the bill. “Only American Citizens should be voting in our Most Important Election in History, or any Election!”
Despite vehement pushback from Democrats, citizenship verification regulations remain incredibly popular among Americans. A growing number of examples of non-citizens landing on voting rolls and participating in federal elections have also been uncovered in recent time.
A Chinese national allegedly registered to vote unlawfully and submitted a ballot in the 2024 general election, according to statements by the Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson’s office and the Washtenaw County Prosecutor’s office in October. Angelica Maria Francisco and Carlos Abreu — from Guatemala and the Dominican Republic, respectively — are both illegal migrants who pled guilty to assuming the identities of American citizens and participating in U.S. elections.
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