A Peruvian woman living in the United States as a lawful permanent resident has been taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement after federal officials accused her of claiming U.S. citizenship and casting a ballot in Kansas during the 2024 general election, the Department of Homeland Security announced Thursday.
Mariana Alexandra Dewey, who is a citizen of Peru, was arrested by special agents with Homeland Security Investigations after authorities said they found she had voted unlawfully in Sedgwick County in the Nov. 5, 2024, election, according to DHS.
The case is part of the Trump administration’s broader push to pursue noncitizens accused of participating illegally in U.S. elections.
“This alien violated the sacred right of every American citizen,” DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in a statement released by the agency.
Mariana Alexandra Dewey is shown in an image provided by the Department of Homeland Security. Officials said Dewey pleaded guilty to disorderly election conduct after being accused of illegally voting in the 2024 general election. (Department of Homeland Security)
Mullin said the department views even a single unlawful vote by a noncitizen as an infringement on the rights of eligible American voters. “If even one non-citizen votes, that steals the voice of a U.S. citizen,” he said. “Only American citizens have the right to participate in our political and election processes, and DHS will continue to investigate, seek criminal prosecution, and ultimately remove aliens who vote to ensure free, fair, and honest elections.”
DHS said election records showed Dewey filed a Kansas voter registration application and later submitted a provisional ballot after affirming, under penalty of perjury, that she was a U.S. citizen.
Homeland Security Investigations agents are seen approaching a residence in Wichita, Kansas, during the Sept. 1, 2026, arrest of Mariana Alexandra Dewey. DHS said Dewey, a lawful permanent resident from Peru, was arrested after authorities alleged she illegally voted in the 2024 general election. (Department of Homeland Security)
During a subsequent interview with investigators, authorities said Dewey acknowledged she was a lawful permanent resident, not a U.S. citizen, and admitted voting in the 2024 general election. DHS said she later pleaded guilty to disorderly election conduct under Kansas law.
The department said Dewey was taken into ICE custody on Sept. 1 after HSI agents located her at a residence in Wichita.
DHS described the arrest as the latest in the administration’s effort to crack down on noncitizens accused of illegally voting in American elections.
The Department of Homeland Security has directed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to deport undocumented immigrants who vote in American elections. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)
The department pointed to several recent cases, including enforcement actions involving noncitizens from Colombia, Slovakia, Australia, Mexico and Mauritania, as well as charges against four noncitizens in New Jersey accused of illegally voting in federal elections or falsely claiming U.S. citizenship.
