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DOJ charges 16 non-citizens with election crimes in four states, 10 in Minnesota

The Justice Department announced on 5 October charges against 16 foreign nationals for illegal voting and related offences, ahead of the November midterms. Outlets differ on whether they were lawful permanent residents or illegal immigrants.

2 outlets · 0L · 0C · 2R First reported Account updated
Image: Just the News
Image: Washington Examiner

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The story, neutrally told

Right · 2The Justice Department announced on Monday 5 October 2026 charges against 16 foreign nationals for alleged election crimes across several states. Right · 2Ten of the defendants were arrested in Minnesota; three were charged in the Eastern District of Louisiana, two in Central Florida and one in the Eastern District of Wisconsin. Right · 1The defendants come from Italy, the Bahamas, Cuba, Mexico, Nicaragua, North Macedonia, Liberia, Lithuania, Ghana, Germany, Bosnia, Brazil, Canada and South Africa.

Right · 1The Washington Examiner named the ten Minnesota defendants, who include nationals of Liberia, Lithuania, Ghana, Germany, Bosnia, Brazil, Canada and South Africa. It said North Macedonian national Sara Luma, 30, was charged with unlawfully voting in Wisconsin. Right · 1Andrea Catanese of Italy and Terrance Patrick Evans of the Bahamas were each charged with voting in the 2024 election; Catanese also faces charges of attempting to procure naturalization unlawfully and making a false statement related to naturalization. Right · 1The charges cover voting in federal elections, false claims of U.S. citizenship to register to vote, and false statements on citizenship applications, according to the Examiner's account of the DOJ announcement.

Right · 2The outlets disagree on the defendants' status: Just the News says all 16 were lawful permanent residents, while the Washington Examiner calls them illegal immigrants and people illegally residing in the United States. Right · 2The announcement comes ahead of the November midterm elections as the Trump administration pursues what it describes as a crackdown on illegal voting. The Examiner says the DOJ announced a similar set of charges against 16 people, mostly in Texas, in September. Right · 1The Examiner adds context: Trump has alleged the 2020 election was stolen and dozens of judges rejected related lawsuits; the Brennan Center for Justice, a left-leaning group, has said the administration intends to undermine coming elections; and Democrats have criticised talk by Tom Homan and DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin of sending immigration officers to polling sites, which several left-leaning groups have sued over.

Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.

Left0 outlets

No left outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.

Centre0 outlets

No centre outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.

Right2 outlets

Framing
Both right-leaning outlets present the charges as part of the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal voting before the midterms. Just the News gives a brief rundown by state and country; the Washington Examiner adds names, districts and political context.
Emphasis
Number of defendants, geographic spread, Minnesota's ten cases, and the administration's push to purge voter rolls.
Leaves out or plays down
Neither includes comment from defendants or their lawyers. Just the News omits the political backdrop and criticism; the Examiner does not mention the permanent-resident status that Just the News reports.
Charged language
“aliens”“illegal immigrants”
For example
“Foreigners illegally voting has been a focal point for Republican criticism of Democratic policies on immigration.” — Just the News
“The effort is part of the White House’s broader plan to purge illegal immigrants from state voter rolls.” — Washington Examiner