DHS Directs ICE to Deport Foreign Citizens Who Illegally Vote in Federal Elections

Election workers sort ballots at Contra Costa County's election operations facility in Martinez, Calif., on May 27, 2026. Benjamin Fanjoy/Getty Images

The Department of Homeland Security has directed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) leadership to deport foreign citizens who vote in federal elections or make a false claim of citizenship.

The order was given hours after the agency’s general counsel, James Percival, issued a directive on June 9 to the department’s principal legal adviser for leadership to enforce stricter penalties, including deportation, for non-Americans who illegally vote in American elections.