Federal prosecutors in Texas announced on Tuesday that six individuals with lawful permanent resident status, along with one Mexican national facing a removal order from the U.S., have been charged with various election-related offenses. The charges include unlawfully participating in federal elections, attempting to participate in federal elections, and making false representations regarding U.S. citizenship. These developments highlight ongoing concerns about election integrity and the enforcement of immigration laws in relation to voting rights.
The United States Attorney’s Office representing the Northern District of Texas announced that six defendants received indictments on September 10, with an additional defendant facing charges through criminal complaint on September 11.
All seven defendants had either been apprehended or voluntarily surrendered to authorities by the conclusion of Tuesday, according to law enforcement officials.
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. 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.
