President Donald Trump has repeatedly argued that noncitizen voting is widespread in the United States and part of a Democratic effort to influence elections. However, an investigation in federal court records found little evidence supporting claims of a coordinated or large-scale conspiracy. Instead, the available cases involve a small number of people, many of whom appear to have voted because of confusion, incorrect guidance or administrative mistakes rather than an organized attempt to alter an election.
Only 129 federal prosecutions under the law prohibiting noncitizens from voting since Congress enacted it in 1996. Of those cases, 86 were filed during Trump’s combined years in office. Prosecutors did not allege a coordinated election-influence operation in any of the cases, and no defendant was accused of receiving payment to vote. The investigation found 73 convictions or guilty pleas, while 30 cases were dismissed and 26 remained pending.
The enforcement effort has accelerated during Trump’s second term. Over the past 18 months, federal prosecutors brought at least 39 cases under the noncitizen-voting statute, while Homeland Security agents opened investigations involving more than 325 people across at least six states. The administration says the prosecutions are necessary to protect election integrity and ensure voter rolls contain only eligible citizens.
Many defendants did not knowingly violate the law. Of the 73 people convicted or pleading guilty, 40 said they believed they were legally entitled to vote. Thirty-two said they had been registered accidentally, encouraged to register or reassured by government employees that they were eligible. Eight believed permanent residents could vote or assumed that acceptance of their registration proved eligibility. Among defendants whose immigration status could be determined, most were lawful permanent residents rather than undocumented immigrants.
The cases also showed no clear partisan pattern. Of 34 defendants, 11 were Democrats, nine were Republicans and 14 had no party affiliation. Election officials from both parties acknowledged that unlawful noncitizen voting occasionally occurs, but said it is too uncommon to meaningfully affect election results.
One case involved Dora Damatta-Rodriguez, a Panama-born lawful permanent resident who had lived in the United States for decades. She registered at an elections office and believed officials would have stopped her if she were ineligible. She voted for Trump in 2016, later pleaded guilty and served 13 days in jail. Although she was initially told the matter had been resolved, immigration authorities reopened her case during Trump’s second term and deported her to Panama in June 2026.
The broader crackdown also risks incorrectly targeting citizens. Federal and state officials have increasingly used the SAVE immigration database to review voter rolls, although courts and voting-rights advocates have raised concerns about errors involving naturalized Americans. In Texas, officials flagged 2,724 registered voters for additional citizenship verification. Indiana identified 1,611 people, many of whom appeared to be naturalized citizens.
Critics fear that aggressive citizenship checks and proof requirements could discourage eligible people from voting or remove them from the rolls because they cannot quickly provide documents. Trump supports the SAVE America Act, which would require documentary proof of citizenship for voter registration and identification at the polls. Supporters describe it as an election-security measure, while opponents warn it could disenfranchise citizens who lack easy access to birth certificates, passports or naturalization records.
Non-citizen voting exists but is exceptionally rare, uncoordinated and often linked to mistakes. The investigation suggests that the scale of the federal response is far greater than the documented problem and could create substantial consequences for lawful voters ahead of the midterm elections.
