Illegal immigrant arrested in Indiana for allegedly voting in federal election: DHS

EXCLUSIVE: An illegal immigrant from Guatemala is accused of voting in a national election in Indiana, a crime that federal officials said steals votes from American citizens, while announcing the woman's arrest.

Helda Araceli Mendez-Merida was arrested Sept. 3 by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in Indianapolis, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said.

"The patriots of ICE arrested this illegal alien from Guatemala after she illegally voted in a past election," DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said. "This illegal alien will be deported so she can never again poison our elections.

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Helda Araceli Mendez-Merida, an illegal immigrant from Guatemala, allegedly voted in a federal election, the Department of Homeland Security said. (Getty Images; Department of Homeland Security)

"If even one noncitizen casts a vote, it steals a vote from an American citizen."

It wasn't clear which election Mendez-Merida allegedly voted in, officials said. However, she illegally entered the U.S. through Arizona in September 2015 during the Obama administration, according to DHS.

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She was arrested by a U.S. Border Patrol officer and released. An immigration judge issued a final order of removal for her in September 2019.

"The right to vote is the cornerstone of democracy in the United States," ICE Enforcement Division Acting Assistant Director Patricia Hyde said. "Helda Araceli Mendez-Merida attempted to subvert a national election by unlawfully casting a vote.

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ICE arrested Helda Araceli Mendez-Merida Sept. 3. (Christopher Dilts/Bloomberg via Getty Images, File)

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"Voting in U.S. elections is a privilege that is reserved exclusively for U.S. citizens, and we cannot allow that sacred right to be perverted by foreign nationals who seek to undermine American democracy."