Those who argue against requiring proof of citizenship in elections should consider a series of cases in Texas, where federal prosecutors have charged seven noncitizens in a sweeping election-integrity operation. The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, Ryan Raybould, announced that the seven have been charged for unlawfully voting in federal elections or falsely claiming U.S. citizenship.
The defendants, citizens of Nigeria, Mexico, India, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, are accused of various election-related offenses involving voter registration, voting, and citizenship claims. Three Nigerian citizens were charged.
Helen Sayen Adams is accused of voting in a federal election as a noncitizen and falsely claiming U.S. citizenship when registering to vote; Joshua Nmelichukwu Akpom is charged with making false statements during the naturalization process by allegedly concealing a prior voter registration and vote, as well as previous claims of U.S. citizenship; and Carlos Salas Barrios, a Mexican citizen, is charged with voting in a federal election as a noncitizen.
Additional defendants include Khalwinder Singh Bhengura, an Indian citizen, and Celestin Katubadi, a citizen of the Democratic Republic of Congo, both of whom are charged with voting in a federal election as noncitizens and making false claims of U.S. citizenship in connection with voter registration. Two Mexican citizens, Rocio Thrasher and Moises Anwar Arellano‑Alba, are similarly accused of voting in federal elections as noncitizens and falsely claiming U.S. citizenship to register to vote.
On the same day as these indictments, Eliseo Morales-Tapia, another illegal alien from Mexico, was sentenced to 36 months in federal prison for aggravated identity theft and voting by an alien in a federal election and false statements of citizenship.
The indictments by federal prosecutors were supported by the investigation resources of the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations, an unprecedented use of power that should be applauded and replicated in the future. This commitment by the Department of Justice and U.S. Attorneys will undoubtedly increase public confidence in the integrity of the election process.
Federal prosecutions are necessary in many counties in Texas because they are controlled by Democrats, and local district attorneys refuse to investigate or prosecute election fraud for ideological reasons. Many of the recalcitrant counties include so-called “sanctuary cities.”
The Texas Secretary of State recently referred 117 cases to the Texas Office of the Attorney General for further investigation of noncitizen voting, after Texas officials had previously flagged 2,724 registered voters as noncitizens. This audit should be applauded, but the truth is that many of the individuals who illegally participated in our electoral process will never be held accountable. It is apparent that without federal prosecutions, many areas in Texas are essentially sanctuary cities for noncitizen voting.
There is a lot of blame to go around. Deterrence becomes more necessary when a state legislature refuses to enact laws to verify applicants’ citizenship before they can register to vote. It is simply a fact that the Texas state legislature has not stepped up to fix this acute problem.
It is, and has been, a federal crime for illegal aliens to vote in federal elections. The problem with that law is that, at least to date, it has been based on trust.
Voting stickers are seen at a political event for Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke, Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022, in Fredericksburg, Texas. On the brink of November’s midterm elections, both full-time election workers in rural Gillespie County suddenly and stunningly quit this month with less than 70 days before voters start casting ballots. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
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Voting stickers are seen at a political event for Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke, Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022, in Fredericksburg, Texas. On the brink of November’s midterm elections, both full-time election workers in rural Gillespie County suddenly and stunningly quit this month with less than 70 days before voters start casting ballots. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
Verifying citizenship in voting is a key factor in the recently released Heritage Election Integrity Scorecard, which ranks states on the adoption of election integrity laws across 15 categories. One of the categories recommends documentary proof of citizenship laws and security measures to prevent noncitizens from registering to vote and casting a ballot.
The just-released 2026 rankings show Texas ranked just 14th overall and scored only 4 points out of 13 in the Verification of Citizenship category.
If Texas really wants to fix the problem, there are several significant Heritage model policy recommendations that could assist, including requiring documented proof of citizenship in registration and directing the Texas Secretary of State and each county election official to independently use the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements program to confirm the eligibility of all registrants with documentary proof of citizenship.
The Texas legislature should direct the daily sharing of citizenship data directly from the Department of Public Safety to the Secretary of State and assist county election officials with procuring the citizenship documentation necessary to confirm the eligibility of applicants. Much of that documentation resides at DPS and should be shared, no questions asked.
Legislators should add a requirement that all drivers’ licenses or state identification cards receive a notation of the applicant’s citizenship status. This would allow the most common form of ID to serve as proof of citizenship and prevent duplication of effort.
Legislators need to require an immediate replacement of a driver’s license or state identification cards when there is a change of citizenship status of the individual, to allow election officials to verify applicants against the most accurate list of citizens in the state.
The Texas state legislature needs to provide the necessary tools to state and local election officials to immediately stop noncitizens from gaining access to registration rolls.
This is a no-brainer, full stop.
With all the talk about foreign influence, states need to do the basic work to protect American elections. With thousands of noncitizen voters already on the voter rolls and now multiple prosecutions for illegal voting, the current election checks to confirm citizenship are more porous than the Dallas Cowboys secondary — by that I mean essentially nonexistent — and that much stronger proof of citizenship requirements need to be enacted by the Texas legislature.
Donald Palmer is a Senior Legal Fellow for Election Integrity with the Heritage Foundation.
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[ H/T Washington Examiner ]
