Key facts
- Ten individuals in Minnesota were indicted on charges of noncitizen voting.
- The charges include making false claims about citizenship to vote or voting as a noncitizen.
- The indictments are part of ongoing efforts by the Trump administration to pursue allegations of voter fraud.
- At least three defendants have pleaded not guilty.
- The US Department of Justice has charged at least 24 individuals nationwide with similar offenses since early September.
The US Department of Justice indicted 10 individuals in Minnesota on Wednesday for alleged noncitizen voting, continuing a series of prosecutions under the Trump administration. Attorney General Todd Blanche and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin announced the charges, which include making false claims about citizenship to vote or voting as a noncitizen in recent federal elections and primaries.
Blanche stated that these investigations and prosecutions are significant because elections can be decided by a small number of votes. The indictments align with the Trump administration's broader efforts to address allegations of voter fraud, despite a lack of evidence that such fraud is a substantial problem. The Heritage Foundation, a conservative thinktank, maintains a database of noncitizen voting cases, identifying 100 instances from 1982 to 2025, which represents a tiny fraction of the total votes cast.
Mullin suggested concerns about voting machine security, stating, "We’ve had some trouble with some machines," though he provided no evidence of fraud. The administration has been actively pursuing investigations and indictments related to election concerns to support President Trump's claims of voter fraud.
Experts generally assure voters that US elections are secure, and noncitizen voting is considered rare, often stemming from administrative errors. A September 2026 report by the Center for Election Innovation & Research indicated that allegations of noncitizen voting often result from misunderstandings or mischaracterizations of voter data. Federal citizenship verification tools found that 0.04% of voter verification cases are returned as noncitizen, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center. In New Jersey, a system error led to over 6,000 noncitizens being falsely registered between June 2023 and June 2024, with fewer than 340 voting.
Since early September, the DOJ has charged at least 24 individuals across 10 states with similar offenses. The 10 individuals charged in Minnesota are lawful permanent residents. At least three have pleaded not guilty. Attorneys for some of the indicted individuals have declined to comment.