THE RIGHT ICE Arrests Four Noncitizens for Illegal Voting in Three States
One case spans 22 years and includes a false citizenship claim on a pending naturalization application — the latest in a weeks-long nationwide crackdown that's produced near-daily arrests since late October.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced the arrests of four noncitizens across three states this week on allegations of illegal voting, the agency said in a series of press releases posted Tuesday — the latest cases in a nationwide voter-fraud crackdown that has produced near-daily arrest announcements since late October.
In New Jersey, Homeland Security Investigations agents arrested Antonio Mitchell, a 54-year-old Jamaican national and lawful permanent resident, on Oct. 28. ICE alleges Mitchell registered to vote and cast ballots in multiple federal primary and general elections over a 22-year span, from 2000 to 2022, despite never being a U.S. citizen. The agency says that when Mitchell applied for naturalization in January 2025, he falsely stated on the application that he had never registered to vote or voted in any election. HSI New Jersey investigated jointly with the FBI and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
In Oklahoma, ICE arrested Maria Elenor Lopez Rios, a Philippine citizen and lawful permanent resident, on Oct. 28 in Tulsa. The agency alleges she falsely claimed U.S. citizenship to register to vote in 2022 and cast a ballot in that year's federal election, and that she was taken into custody while a naturalization application was still pending. Homeland Security Investigations' Tulsa office led that case.
In Tennessee, HSI agents arrested Frederic Jean Rene Sicard, a French national, and Mark Adwar Odisho, an Iraqi national, in Cleveland on Oct. 29. Both are charged with voting by aliens and are accused of casting ballots in the 2024 presidential election. The Eastern District of Tennessee issued a criminal complaint and arrest warrant on Oct. 23; the case was investigated jointly with the FBI and the Cleveland Police Department.
“Voting in American elections is a right reserved for eligible voters,” ICE Assistant Director of Public Affairs Micah Bock said in one of the releases. “The law applies to everyone, and we intend to enforce it.” In a separate release on the Tennessee arrests, Bock added: “Election security is national security.”
The four arrests add to a run of similar announcements ICE has made almost daily over the past two weeks, including a Cuban national in Philadelphia, a Canadian national in Tucson, and a Dominican national, as the agency has publicized what it calls a nationwide crackdown on noncitizen voting ahead of Tuesday's midterm elections. The allegations described here are ICE's own; none of the four has been convicted.