'We Will Find You': DHS Lawyer Says Over 200 Charged in Noncitizen Voting Cases as Agency Warns Voters Before Election Day
The Department of Homeland Security's general counsel says more than 200 people have been charged in noncitizen voting cases, and he warned that anyone who votes illegally will be found, charged and deported, whether the case comes now or later. DHS posted the remarks by General Counsel James Percival on its official X account on Saturday night, three days before Tuesday's midterm elections.
Video: DHS General Counsel James Percival on "My View with Lara Trump," via the Department of Homeland Security (@DHSgov) on X.
What Percival Said About Noncitizen Voting
"I think we've really stepped up to the plate and proved that non-citizen voting is a real thing, we've charged over 200 people," Percival said in the clip DHS posted. "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."
Fox News reported that Percival made the comments in a Saturday appearance on the Fox News program. DHS did not publish a list of the more than 200 cases, and The Digital Free Press could not independently confirm that total, which is the department's figure. It does not say how many of those cases have ended in convictions.
What the DHS Cases Show
Percival's warning follows an Oct. 28 DHS release announcing that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had arrested "dozens" of people in connection with alleged voter fraud and election-related offenses, "including numerous cases of aliens admitting to unlawfully registering to vote or casting ballots in American elections."
"The patriots of ICE have arrested dozens of non-citizens who illegally voted in American elections," DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in that release. "The Trump Administration will not allow illegal aliens to steal the votes of hardworking American citizens. American elections are for Americans only."
The release listed 13 examples of ICE cases. A review of those 13 by The Digital Free Press found that, according to DHS, seven involve votes cast in the 2024 election, two involve votes in the 2026 election, two involve the 2022 election, one involves the 2020 election and one involves a vote cast in 1992. The people listed come from 10 countries, with Mexico named most often, followed by Honduras. DHS says 12 of the 13 have criminal histories, ranging from arrests for driving offenses to a conviction for assault with intent to murder.
The release also listed earlier cases, including Homeland Security Investigations arrests in October of five noncitizens charged with illegally voting in Florida and arrests involving votes in New Jersey, Missouri and Pennsylvania. These are allegations; people who have been charged are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Pushback From State Officials
The administration's push has drawn objections from some state election officials. Fox News reported that Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs challenged a Justice Department list of more than 400 people it said were noncitizens registered in his state, saying the list "includes United States citizens and is not reliable."
Federal law already makes it a crime for a noncitizen to vote in a federal election, and a noncitizen who votes in violation of the law can be removed from the country.
Sources: Department of Homeland Security on X, General Counsel James Percival (Oct. 31, 2026): https://x.com/DHSgov/status/2116707494554742825 ; Department of Homeland Security, "Dozens of Illegal Aliens Arrested In Nationwide Voter Fraud Crackdown" (Oct. 28, 2026): https://www.dhs.gov/news/2026/10/28/dozens-illegal-aliens-arrested-nationwide-voter-fraud-crackdown ; Fox News: https://www.foxnews.com/media/dhs-official-vows-to-prosecute-deport-noncitizens-caught-illegally-voting-ahead-midterms ; 18 U.S.C. 611, voting by aliens: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/611 ; 8 U.S.C. 1227(a)(6), unlawful voters: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/8/1227 . Cover photo: file photo, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
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