Latest news with #illegalVoting
Fox News
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Fox News
Red state AG investigating more than 30 potential noncitizens who voted in 2024 election
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has launched an investigation into 33 potential noncitizens allegedly illegally voting in the 2024 general election. Paxton, a Republican who is running a Senate primary challenge against Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, announced the investigation on Tuesday. In a press statement, Paxton's office said it was made aware of the potential illegal votes by Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson. The statement said Nelson was only able to access the information because of an executive order signed by President Donald Trump this March. Trump's executive order, titled "Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections," directed the Departments of State and Homeland Security to give all states "access to appropriate systems for verifying the citizenship or immigration status of individuals registering to vote or who are already registered." The order also directed DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to provide U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi with "complete information on all foreign nationals who have indicated on any immigration form that they have registered or voted in a Federal, State, or local election, and shall also take all appropriate action to submit to relevant State or local election officials such information." Part of this order involved the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service's SAVE database being opened up to the states at no cost, through which Nelson was able to access the information about the alleged illegal voting, according to Paxton's statement. Trump said in the order that "free, fair, and honest elections unmarred by fraud, errors, or suspicion are fundamental to maintaining our constitutional Republic" and "the right of American citizens to have their votes properly counted and tabulated, without illegal dilution, is vital to determining the rightful winner of an election." In August 2024, Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced that the state had removed 1.1 million people from its voter rolls, including individuals who had moved out-of-state, were deceased or who were non-citizens. A statement by the governor's office said that over 6,500 of the individuals removed from the state's voter rolls were potential noncitizens. The statement said that approximately 1,930 of the removed noncitizens had a voter history. Later reporting by the Texas Tribune alleged that the governor's office had inflated the numbers of noncitizen voters. The governor's office, however, has said that the removal process "has been, and will continue to be, ongoing." In his Tuesday statement announcing the investigation into the 33 potential noncitizens voting, Paxton said that "these potential instances of unlawful voting will be thoroughly investigated, and I will continue to stand with President Trump in fighting to ensure that our state's elections are safe and secure." "In order to be able to trust the integrity of our elections, the results must be determined by our own citizens—not foreign nationals breaking the law to illegally vote," said Paxton, adding that "noncitizens must not be allowed to influence American elections, and I will use the full weight of my office to investigate all voter fraud."
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Feds: Chinese student who voted in MI election fled US
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Federal prosecutors have unsealed a criminal case against a Chinese man accused of voting illegally in the 2024 election. The documents provide details on how 19-year-old University of Michigan student Haoxiang Gao managed to leave the U.S. despite surrendering his Chinese passport and agreeing to stay in Michigan while on bond. The case was unsealed seven months after authorities revealed that a student who wasn't a U.S. citizen had cast a ballot for the presidential election at an early voting site in Ann Arbor. Gao cast his ballot in late October, but then reportedly contacted the local clerk, asking if he could somehow get his ballot back. University investigators spoke with Gao the next day. An FBI agent wrote in the criminal case that Gao admitted to casting a vote. Law enforcement charged Gao with perjury on Nov. 8, 2024 — a charge that carries a maximum of 15 years in prison. Prosecutors say Gao surrendered one Chinese passport but used a second one issued in his name to board a Delta flight leaving from Detroit to Shanghai on Jan. 19. It was unclear how he obtained the second passport. 'We have authorized his extradition from anywhere in the world, and remain committed to prosecuting the case to the fullest extent of the law,' Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit said, according to the . By fleeing the country, Gao is now being additionally charged with flight to avoid prosecution, a felony punishable by up to five years in federal prison, on top of possible prison time for his other charges. In April, a review by the Michigan Secretary of State's office identified 15 non-U.S. citizens who cast ballots in the November election, the Detroit News . Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
South China Morning Post
30-05-2025
- General
- South China Morning Post
Student flees to China after being charged with voting illegally in Michigan
A Chinese national who was charged with voting illegally in Michigan last fall has fled the US, federal authorities said on Friday. Advertisement The man, who is not a US citizen, had surrendered his Chinese passport in November and was told not to leave Michigan. But he travelled to China from Detroit in January by showing another passport, the FBI said in a court filing. An arrest warrant was issued in April after he failed to appear at two court hearings in Ann Arbor, where he had been a student at the University of Michigan. He was facing charges of perjury and attempting to vote as an unauthorised elector, a felony. Only citizens can vote in federal elections, and every voter must attest to US citizenship when registering. The student was accused of lying about his citizenship when he registered to vote and then casting a ballot during an early voting period. He now faces a federal charge, though the US does not have an extradition treaty with China. Advertisement
Associated Press
30-05-2025
- General
- Associated Press
US says student fled to China after being charged with voting illegally in Michigan
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — A Chinese national who was charged with voting illegally in Michigan last fall has fled the U.S., federal authorities said Friday. The man, who is not a U.S. citizen, had surrendered his Chinese passport in November and was told not to leave Michigan. But he traveled to China from Detroit in January by showing another passport, the FBI said in a court filing. An arrest warrant was issued in April after he failed to appear at two court hearings in Ann Arbor, where he had been a student at the University of Michigan. He was facing charges of perjury and attempting to vote as an unauthorized elector, a felony. Only citizens can vote in federal elections, and every voter must attest to U.S. citizenship when registering. The student was accused of lying about his citizenship when he registered to vote and then casting a ballot during an early voting period. He now faces a federal charge, though the U.S. does not have an extradition treaty with China.
