The Trump administration’s efforts to make our elections more secure is picking up steam with less than two months before the midterm elections.
The Justice Department last week announced charges against 16 people in seven states for alleged election-related crimes, including cases involving noncitizens accused of illegally registering to vote or casting ballots in federal elections.
The cases span Texas, Idaho, Georgia, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, New Jersey, and Michigan and are part of an expanded election-enforcement effort by the Trump administration ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
The Justice Department said Friday that the allegations include unlawful voting by noncitizens, false claims of U.S. citizenship to register or vote and false statements during the naturalization process.
Investigators also uncovered alleged wire fraud, passport and identification-document fraud and firearms offenses in connection with some of the cases.
Eight noncitizens living in Texas were among those charged, according to the department.
In Georgia, federal prosecutors charged three noncitizens with allegedly voting in federal elections.
The defendants are originally from Mexico, Venezuela, and Antigua and Barbuda, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.
One of those defendants, Analiea Milliscent Eccles, is a Venezuelan national and recipient of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA.
Prosecutors allege that Eccles registered to vote and cast ballots nine times between 2008 and 2024 despite not being a U.S. citizen.
She faces charges of voting as a noncitizen and falsely claiming U.S. citizenship in connection with voting.
The allegations have not been proven in court.
Another case involves Avila Gomez, a Mexican national living in Idaho. Prosecutors allege Gomez falsely claimed to be a U.S. citizen while registering to vote and subsequently cast ballots in May 2022 and November 2024.
The case also includes allegations involving wire fraud, passport fraud, identification documents and firearms.
AG Blanche: “In just the past ten days, the DOJ has announced charges against 11 individuals for illegally voting in 2024 and 2022 or fraudulently registering to vote. We are seeing illegal aliens voting.” pic.twitter.com/XsEt0bUmLq
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) September 15, 2026
In New Jersey, prosecutors charged Santana Coulibaly, a lawful permanent resident, with election-related and naturalization offenses.
Authorities allege Coulibaly registered to vote in 2016, participated in the 2018 and 2020 federal elections and submitted a provisional ballot during the 2024 presidential election. Prosecutors also allege she made false statements during the naturalization process.
The latest cases follow several other election-related prosecutions announced by the Justice Department this month.
On Sept. 14, the department announced charges against six people in California, Kansas and Louisiana.
Those cases included allegations that people were paid to sign California ballot petitions using stolen voter identities, as well as accusations that noncitizens in Kansas and Louisiana illegally voted.
Earlier in September, five people in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Wisconsin were charged in cases involving alleged illegal voting or fraudulent registration connected to the 2022 or 2024 elections.
The Trump administration has made enforcement of federal voting laws involving noncitizens a priority.
Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald told Fox News that the administration has now charged 50 noncitizens with illegally voting.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said federal authorities have more than 1,620 open cases and have made 151 arrests, while officials are reviewing hundreds of thousands of additional suspected cases.
Those figures represent investigations and suspected violations, not proven instances of illegal voting.
DOJ announced charges for 16 individuals for ILLEGAL VOTING, illegal voter registration, and related election-fraud schemes across the country.
If you are not allowed to vote in our elections, you shouldn’t. And if you do, that’s a CRIME. This isn’t a partisan issue!
Read… pic.twitter.com/klmlulomps
— U.S. Department of Justice (@TheJusticeDept) September 19, 2026
The Justice Department has also warned state election officials that knowingly allowing ineligible noncitizens to remain on voter rolls or cast ballots could potentially result in criminal liability.
Letters sent to officials in all 50 states this summer asked them to explain how they were complying with federal election laws.
Federal law generally prohibits noncitizens from voting in elections for president, vice president and members of Congress.
Violations of the federal prohibition on noncitizen voting can carry a fine and up to one year in prison.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
