Federal immigration authorities arrested Mexican national and lawful permanent resident Ludwig Uriel Espejo-Carrillo on allegations that he voted in a U.S. election and falsely claimed American citizenship, as federal prosecutors pursue several other noncitizen voting cases in Texas.

By yourNEWS Media Newsroom

EL PASO, Texas — Federal immigration authorities have taken a Mexican lawful permanent resident into custody over allegations that he unlawfully voted and falsely represented himself as a U.S. citizen, adding another case to a series of noncitizen voting prosecutions announced in Texas this month.

Homeland Security Investigations agents in El Paso arrested Ludwig Uriel Espejo-Carrillo on Sept. 3, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Espejo-Carrillo, a Mexican national who has held lawful permanent resident status since July 2013, faces administrative charges involving unlawful voting and falsely claiming U.S. citizenship after allegedly voting in an American election in 2015, according to a report by The Daily Wire.

His lawful permanent resident status was granted during the Obama administration, according to DHS information cited in the report.

Espejo-Carrillo remains in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody while removal proceedings move forward. The allegations against him have not been established through a criminal conviction.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin described the alleged conduct as a “threat to our republic.”

“We cannot and will not allow the votes of American citizens to be canceled out by non-citizens illegally voting in our elections,” Mullin said.

“Thanks to the hard work of the men and women of ICE, this criminal will be deported from the United States.”

DHS issued a similar warning Thursday as it announced the case.

“Our message to aliens who vote in American elections is clear: we will find you, arrest you, and you will face the consequences.

“On September 3, @HSIElPaso arrested Ludwig Uriel Espejo-Carrillo, an alien from Mexico, and charged him with unlawful voting and false claim to U.S. citizenship after illegally voting in American elections in 2015.

“Espejo-Carrillo will remain in ICE custody pending removal from the United States.

“We cannot and will not allow the votes of American citizens to be cancelled out by non-citizens illegally voting in our elections.”

The announcement follows a separate federal election-enforcement operation in North Texas involving seven noncitizens accused of voting unlawfully, falsely claiming citizenship or both.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas announced Sept. 15 that six defendants had been indicted Sept. 10 and a seventh charged by criminal complaint the following day. All seven were subsequently taken into federal custody or surrendered, prosecutors said.

The defendants include lawful permanent residents as well as one Mexican national who had previously been ordered deported.

Federal prosecutors allege several falsely identified themselves as U.S. citizens while registering to vote or participating in the November 2024 general election.

One defendant, Mexican citizen Carlos Salas Barrios, is accused of casting a provisional ballot in Tarrant County despite not being a citizen. Authorities said that ballot was ultimately rejected.

Nigerian citizen Helen Sayen Adams, Indian citizen Khalwinder Singh Bhengura, Congolese citizen Celestin Katubadi and Mexican citizen Rocio Thrasher were charged with offenses involving both voting by an alien and false claims of citizenship, according to federal prosecutors.

Mexican national Moises Anwar Arellano-Alba is accused of falsely claiming U.S. citizenship while applying for a Texas driver’s license and later voting early in the 2024 general election in Dallas County. Prosecutors said he subsequently acknowledged voting during immigration proceedings.

Joshua Nmelichukwu Akpom, a Nigerian lawful permanent resident, was charged with making false statements during the naturalization process after prosecutors alleged that he had previously registered and voted while not a citizen.

The Justice Department emphasized that indictments and criminal complaints are allegations and that all defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

The cases grew from federal and state investigations involving the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and the Texas attorney general’s Election Integrity Unit.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton previously opened investigations into 33 potential noncitizens suspected of voting in the 2024 general election after the Texas secretary of state referred information obtained through the federal SAVE database.

Paxton’s office announced this week that seven foreign nationals connected to the investigation had been arrested following the federal charges.

“Foreign influence has no place in American elections,” Paxton said while announcing the arrests.

The prosecutions come amid an ongoing national political dispute over noncitizen voting and proposed federal requirements intended to verify citizenship for voter registration.

Federal law prohibits noncitizens from voting in federal elections, and falsely claiming U.S. citizenship for purposes of registering or voting can carry separate criminal penalties.

Individual prosecutions establish that unlawful voting by noncitizens can occur, but the existence of particular cases does not by itself determine how frequently such voting occurs across the electorate.

The Espejo-Carrillo case is distinct from the seven North Texas prosecutions. DHS says his alleged voting occurred in 2015, while the newest Texas indictments principally involve alleged conduct connected with the 2024 election.

For Espejo-Carrillo, the immediate consequence is immigration detention.

DHS says he will remain in ICE custody while the government proceeds with efforts to remove him from the United States.

Original article