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.
In May, four noncitizens were charged with allegedly voting illegally in multiple federal elections and making false statements while applying for U.S. citizenship.
Federal officials have also pointed to cases in which noncitizens allegedly misrepresented themselves as U.S. citizens during immigration or voter registration processes. DHS has argued that such false claims create both immigration and election-law consequences.
The latest directive follows a separate August 2025 policy update from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Under that update, green card holders who have voted or registered to vote can be barred from obtaining U.S. citizenship.
The Trump administration has made election integrity a major focus, particularly around claims that noncitizens may be participating unlawfully in American elections. Supporters of the policy say deportation is an appropriate consequence for anyone in the country illegally who casts a fraudulent ballot.
Critics of Trump’s broader election agenda have argued that documented cases of noncitizen voting are rare and that sweeping policy changes risk creating confusion or discouraging eligible voters from participating. DHS, however, has said the issue is serious regardless of scale because even a small number of illegal votes can undermine public trust in elections.
The new ICE directive makes clear that immigration enforcement officials are expected to treat unlawful voting as a removal priority. It also signals that the administration intends to keep tying immigration enforcement to its broader push for stricter election rules ahead of future elections.
