U.S. authorities report the apprehension of two Ukrainian citizens, accused of illegally casting ballots in the 2024 presidential election.
Rewritten Article:
Facing allegations of illegal voting in the 2024 presidential election, two individuals from Ukraine recently found themselves in hot water. On April 29, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated that the suspects were taken into custody, marking one of the first setbacks for non-citizen voting under the Trump administration.
On a recent occasion, Noem declared that the operation was conducted jointly by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Noem stated, "If you breach our laws while in the United States under the Trump administration, you shall face the consequence." A lack of information has been released concerning the individuals' identities and the circumstances under which they allegedly voted.
Led by billionaire Elon Musk, the Department of Government Efficiency under President Donald Trump's authority, gained considerable leeway to trim budgets and dismiss federal workers, purportedly to eliminate redundancy. Despite ongoing legal challenges, DOGE has enforced mass layoffs and funding reductions.
The United States urges only citizens aged 18 or older, registered in their resident state, to cast their votes in federal elections. The Trump administration has persistently maintained that noncitizen voting is rampant, though numerous checks and studies show instances of this nature are exceptionally rare.
In the previous month, President Trump confirmed his administration's review of continuation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Ukrainians residing in the U.S. due to war.
Misleading deportation notices sent to Ukrainians in early April 2025 due to an administrative blunder, underscored their uncertain status. Although the Department of Homeland Security did admit to the error, they have not ruled out potential future policy changes.
The Temporary Protected Status (TPS) designation for Ukrainians has not been explicitly mentioned in the available information. However, it's important to note that the Ukrainians arriving because of Russia's invasion were primarily given humanitarian parole as part of the Biden-era Uniting for Ukraine (U4U) program. Unlike TPS, humanitarian parole is a temporary, discretionary status that does not offer the same level of formalized protections or work permits officially granted by TPS. To date, there is no evidence suggesting Ukraine has received the TPS designation. (Note: While not mentioned in the article text, it might be worth noting that the Trump administration terminated TPS for Afghanistan and Cameroon and made attempts to do the same for Venezuela, facing legal challenges in all cases.)
In conclusion, the current protections for Ukrainians seem to be contingent on humanitarian parole status and not TPS. The widespread allegations of inaccuracies in deportation notices highlight the complexity and potential administrative errors facing these individuals.
- The Department of Homeland Security, under scrutiny for sending inaccurate deportation notices in 2025, has yet to rule out potential future policy changes that could affect Ukrainians.
- In 2024, the presidential election saw allegations of illegal voting, with two individuals from Ukraine being taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in a joint operation.
- While under the Trump administration, the DOGE, led by billionaire Elon Musk, initiated mass layoffs and funding reductions, gaining leeway to trim budgets and dismiss federal workers.
- As the 2024 general news headlines are filled with politics, policy-and-legislation, and crime-and-justice reports, the Trump administration maintains that noncitizen voting is rampant, a claim challenged by numerous checks and studies showing it to be exceptionally rare.
