The Justice Department on October 16 charged another 16 non-citizens with federal election crimes in North Carolina, New York and Idaho—15 of whom are lawful permanent residents who have lived in the United States for years. The indictments follow a similar sweep on October 12 and stem largely from a North Carolina voter-roll check against DHS’s SAVE database that recently produced 1,392 additional “possible non-citizen” matches. Although illegal voting under 18 U.S.C. 611 carries only a one-year maximum sentence, falsely claiming U.S. citizenship (18 U.S.C. 1015(f)) is a five-year felony, and both offenses make a green-card holder deportable with no discretionary waiver. Immigration lawyers therefore warn that even long-settled residents may now face removal for votes cast decades ago. For employers managing I-9 compliance and corporate relocations, the case highlights a growing intersection between state election audits, federal immigration databases and enforcement priorities. A lawful permanent resident flagged in SAVE may suddenly need legal counsel, may lose work authorization if placed in removal, and may face international-travel restrictions that disrupt business trips. Companies with large green-card workforces—especially in North Carolina’s tech and life-sciences corridors—should brief HR teams on the risks of inadvertent voter registration, encourage employees to verify their voter status, and be prepared to issue employment-verification letters if staff face immigration court.
Source: Immigration Analytics
