Six people holding lawful permanent resident status and one Mexican national subject to a removal order from the US have been formally charged with unlawfully participating in federal elections, attempting to participate in federal elections, or making false representations regarding U.S. citizenship, according to an announcement made by federal prosecutors in Texas on Tuesday.
These charges emerge as the Trump administration broadens its emphasis on election integrity and the prevention of noncitizen voting in preparation for the 2026 midterm elections. Administration officials contend that heightened enforcement measures are essential to protect electoral processes, whereas voting rights advocates and election specialists have consistently argued that verified instances of noncitizen voting remain uncommon; the Heritage Foundation’s election-fraud database documented merely 24 cases of noncitizen voting between 2003 and 2023, as confirmed by a Reuters examination. In January 2024, Bhengura made fraudulent claims of U.S. citizenship during voter registration and subsequently repeated this misrepresentation when obtaining a Texas driver license in August 2024. He participated in the November 2024 general election and subsequently acknowledged his awareness that he did not possess U.S. citizenship. His arrest occurred on September 11.
The matters pertain to participation in voting during the 2018 or 2024 electoral cycles, efforts to cast votes via provisional ballot mechanisms, or submission of false declarations concerning citizenship status on official government documentation, according to prosecutorial allegations. Khalwinder Singh Bhengura, a 69-year-old Indian national and lawful permanent resident since 2022, faces charges of unlawful voting by a non-citizen in a federal election and making false statements regarding citizenship status for voter registration purposes, the Department of Justice said.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has identified the defendants as comprising six permanent residents holding green cards originating from Nigeria, Mexico, India, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, in addition to one Mexican citizen previously subject to a removal order from the US.
