ICE Arrests Guatemalan Woman in Indianapolis Accused of Voting in a U.S. National Election

The Department of Homeland Security said Friday that ICE officers arrested Helda Araceli Mendez-Merida, a Guatemalan national, on Sept. 3 in Indianapolis during a targeted immigration operation. Officials said she unlawfully voted in a past national election in Indiana. DHS did not name the election. She remains in ICE custody pending removal. Federal law limits voting in federal elections to U.S. citizens.

DHS said Mendez-Merida entered the United States illegally through Arizona in September 2015, was arrested by Border Patrol, and was released under the Obama administration. A Department of Justice immigration judge issued a final order of removal on Sept. 3, 2019. She was still in the country when ICE took her into custody this month. “The patriots of ICE arrested this illegal alien from Guatemala after she illegally voted in a past election,” Secretary Markwayne Mullin said. “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.” ICE Enforcement Division Acting Assistant Director Patricia Hyde said Mendez-Merida “attempted to subvert a national election by unlawfully casting a vote” and that “voting in U.S. elections is a privilege that is reserved exclusively for U.S. citizens.” The Friday statement described an administrative arrest, not a new criminal indictment. DHS did not release poll-book records or the year of the ballot it attributes to her.