US Justice Department Indicts Ten Foreign Nationals Over Illegal Voting Allegations in Minnesota

US Justice Department Indicts Ten Foreign Nationals Over Illegal Voting Allegations in Minnesota

2026-09-30 politics

Minneapolis, Thursday, 1 October 2026.
Federal prosecutors charged ten lawful permanent residents with illegal voting, highlighting an aggressive federal crackdown, though state officials note noncitizen voting remains exceptionally rare amid 8.5 million cast ballots.

Federal Indictments Announced in Minnesota

On September 30, 2026, the United States Department of Justice announced federal charges against ten noncitizens in Minnesota, alleging illegal participation in past elections [1][5]. The enforcement action underscores an intensified federal oversight strategy regarding voter eligibility laws and municipal election administration [1]. Attorney General Todd Blanche, alongside Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen, announced that a federal grand jury indicted ten defendants separately on September 24, 2026, for voter fraud [3]. All defendants have made their initial appearances in federal court, with nine appearing between September 28 and September 29, 2026 [3][5].

Federal Indictments Announced in Minnesota

The accused individuals, originating from Brazil, Ghana, Bosnia, Lithuania, Germany, Canada, South Africa, and Liberia, allegedly voted in the 2022 general election, 2024 general election, and 2026 August primary [2][5]. Specific charges include false claims of citizenship and voting by aliens, with penalties carrying up to five years imprisonment and fines up to $250,000 for false citizenship claims [3][5]. The Department of Justice emphasized that voting in American elections is a privilege of American citizenship and stealing that privilege is a crime [3]. Since President Trump took office in 2025, the DOJ has charged 90 individuals with voter-related fraud, including 50 charges filed between August 25, 2026, and September 29, 2026 [2][5].

Federal Enforcement and Political Context

The Trump administration is implementing new rules to restrict mail-in ballot voting, establish a federal database of eligible citizens, and mandate proof of citizenship for federal election voting [1][7]. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin stated, “Under President Trump’s leadership, this administration will never allow the votes of American citizens to be cancelled out by non-citizens illegally voting in our elections” [3]. DHS currently has over 1,600 active voter fraud cases and 300,000 pending cases, with plans to pursue these investigations aggressively [7]. The administration’s stance is that elections today are often decided by a small number of votes, making these investigations and prosecutions matter significantly [1][7].

Federal Enforcement and Political Context

Attorney General Todd Blanche remarked, “Voter fraud erodes a public’s trust in our electoral system and it’s vital to our democratic process that we do everything we can to restore that trust” [2]. The Department of Justice has directed policies to restrict mail-in ballots and establish a federal database of eligible citizens, though most measures face legal challenges [1]. On September 29, 2026, U.S. Attorney Blanche filed a judicial misconduct complaint against federal judges in Minnesota regarding comments made to the New York Times on September 17, 2026, concerning Operation Metro Surge [2][5]. Blanche requested that the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals investigate the judges and mandate their recusal from all cases involving the Department of Homeland Security [2].

Statistical Context and State Response

Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office reported that the total number of noncitizen voting indictments amounts to 10 individuals out of approximately 8.5 million votes cast in Minnesota during the relevant period [2][7]. This represents a fraud rate of 0 percent, affirming the state’s position that noncitizen voting is a vanishingly rare crime [2][7]. The Heritage Foundation database recorded 100 cases of noncitizen voting between 1982 and 2025, representing 0.000008% of the 1.3 billion votes cast in presidential elections during that period [1]. The Bipartisan Policy Center reports that federal citizenship verification tools flag 0.04% of voter verification cases as noncitizen [1].

Statistical Context and State Response

A September 2026 report by the Center for Election Innovation & Research concluded that allegations regarding noncitizen voting often stem from misunderstandings, mischaracterizations, or outright fabrications about complex voter data [1]. Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon noted, “These indictments affirm the fact that noncitizen voting is a vanishingly rare crime” [7]. Despite the low statistical prevalence, the federal push continues with Homeland Security Investigations executing 100 administrative arrests, 53 criminal arrests, 37 indictments, and 10 convictions concerning illegal voting [7]. The DHS is auditing voter logs across 47 states and several territories to address irregularities [7].

Defendants include nationals from Liberia, Ghana, Lithuania, Germany, Bosnia, Brazil, Canada, and South Africa, all lawful permanent residents charged under 18 U.S.C. § 1015(f) [3][5]. Conviction for falsely claiming citizenship carries a maximum 5-year prison term, while illegal voting as a foreign national is a misdemeanor with a maximum 1-year term [2]. On September 29, 2026, Hester Sophia Weihmann, a 69-year-old South African national, had her initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Elsa M. Bullard regarding federal charges of voter fraud in Minnesota [3]. The tenth defendant, Christian Liam Schenk, has an initial appearance scheduled for September 30, 2026 [3].

Judge Patrick J. Schiltz alleged in a September 17, 2026, interview that ICE violated nearly 100 federal district court orders during Operation Metro Surge [5]. In response to the misconduct complaint, Judge Schiltz stated, “As legal ethics experts have confirmed, I was acting well within the ethical rules that apply to federal judges in speaking to the New York Times” [5]. Richard Painter, Professor at the University of Minnesota Law School, noted there are no grounds for an ethics complaint when a judge is not talking about a pending case [2]. The Supreme Court ruled on Friday, September 25, 2026, that the administration may use the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements database for voter-eligibility checks during ongoing litigation [5].

Sources


Election Integrity Department of Justice