ICE Arrests Illegal Alien Who Illegally Voted in U.S. Election in Indiana

Release Date: September 18, 2026

This illegal alien had been RELEASED into the country by the Obama Administration

WASHINGTON- The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released the following statement after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers arrested an illegal alien who unlawfully voted in a national election in Indiana.

On September 3, ICE officers arrested Helda Araceli Mendez-Merida, an illegal alien from Guatemala, during a targeted immigration enforcement operation in Indianapolis.

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Helda Araceli Mendez-Merida

"The patriots of ICE arrested this illegal alien from Guatemala after she illegally voted in a past election," said DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin. "This illegal alien will be deported so she can never again poison our elections. If even one non-citizen casts a vote, it steals a vote from an American citizen. The Trump Administration is committed to protecting and upholding the integrity of our election system so that only the American people are choosing American leaders and making decisions for our country."

"The right to vote is the cornerstone of democracy in the United States," said ICE Enforcement Division's Acting Assistant Director Patricia Hyde. "Helda Araceli Mendez-Merida attempted to subvert a national election by unlawfully casting a vote. Voting in U.S. elections is a privilege that is reserved exclusively for U.S. citizens, and we cannot allow that sacred right to be perverted by foreign nationals who seek to undermine American democracy."

Mendez-Merida illegally entered the United States through Arizona in September 2015, and was arrested by the U.S. Border Patrol. She was then RELEASED into the country by the Obama Administration. A Department of Justice (DOJ) Immigration Judge issued Mendez-Merida a final order of removal on September 3, 2019.