DHS touts record-low border crossings and arrests non-citizen for illegal voting
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The gist
DHS reported a 95% drop in southwest border apprehensions for fiscal 2026 and an illegal-voting arrest.
Door-knocking voter checks and stalled deportation reprieves show enforcement widening beyond the border.
Background
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the federal department that oversees border enforcement, immigration benefits and immigration investigations; Markwayne Mullin is its secretary. In mid-October 2026 DHS and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released preliminary fiscal-year border data, while its investigative arm, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), announced an election-fraud arrest. The department is also weighing whether to extend temporary deportation relief for Ukrainians and Sudanese, and federal agents have been going door to door to check residents' immigration and voting status ahead of the midterms.
How it unfolded
- Nov 5, 2024According to the indictment, Mukeshkumar Somabhai Chaudhari signed the voter signature certificate required by Minnesota law, swearing he was a U.S. citizen.
- Sep 10, 2026A federal grand jury in the District of Minnesota returned a two-count indictment charging Chaudhari with making a false claim of U.S. citizenship to vote.
- Oct 16, 2026DHS and CBP announced preliminary FY 2026 data: a 95% drop in southwest border apprehensions versus the Biden administration, the lowest annual encounters in American history, and the first fiscal year with zero Border Patrol releases.
- Oct 16, 2026DHS announced that HSI arrested non-citizen Chaudhari for knowingly making a false claim of U.S. citizenship to vote in the 2024 general election.
- Oct 19, 2026Temporary Protected Status was set to end for about 101,000 Ukrainians and 1,800 Sudanese; DHS said they "retain protection" and an announcement "will be made at the appropriate time."
- Oct 20, 2026The New York Times reported federal agents searched Rep. Ilhan Omar's Washington home the previous week and issued subpoenas to some family members seeking evidence of fraud in immigration paperwork.
- Oct 21, 2026A CBS News investigation reported armed, uniformed DHS agents knocking on doors in several states to ask residents about immigration status and past voter registration or voting.
- Oct 21, 2026As part of that roundup, dozens of federal agents descended on the home of a 72-year-old man from Belize, who was taken from his home in his pajamas and arrested on charges he allegedly voted illegally in the past four elections.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- Secretary Mullin said the border data proves President Trump delivered a secure border and that "strong enforcement works," and warned that non-citizens who vote will be found, arrested and face charges and deportation.
- Caution
- Eric Balliet, a former Homeland Security Investigations agent, said the door-knocking operation is a significant departure from traditional law enforcement activities.
- Support
- A DHS spokesperson said HSI is "actively rooting out and investigating election fraud" to ensure only American citizens elect American leaders.
- Party
- Yuriy Boyechko, CEO of Hope For Ukraine, called the government's announcement "last-minute patches" and a "bandage" that does not solve the real issue, and urged a normal path to permanent residency.
Still unverified
DHS did not say how long Ukrainians and Sudanese could stay or when a final announcement would come, and did not answer whether they can keep their work permits. A USCIS whistleblower claimed in September that employees were asked to review voter information for tens of thousands of people, including citizens, with quotas of 40 subjects a day, roughly 12 minutes each. The indictment's allegation that Chaudhari was not a citizen and knowingly made the false statement, and the charge that the 72-year-old man from Belize voted illegally in four elections, remain allegations.