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A legal permanent resident of Australian nationality was arrested in Louisiana, accused of illegally voting in two consecutive federal elections after falsely declaring that she was a U.S. citizen, according to an official statement from the Department of Homeland Security released on Tuesday.
Denise Nataly Migliore, a resident of Franklinton, Louisiana, faced arrest on July 1 by agents from the Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) of New Orleans, who apprehended her in the federal courthouse of that city.
The formal charge, issued on June 11 by a grand jury in the Eastern District of Louisiana, accuses him of two federal offenses: illegal voting in a federal election and submitting false statements to register as a voter.
According to the Eastern District of Louisiana Prosecutor's Office, Migliore allegedly lied about her citizenship when registering to vote and subsequently cast votes in the 2022 and 2024 elections, indicating a deliberate pattern over two consecutive electoral cycles.
The investigation was conducted jointly by ICE and the FBI, with the prosecution led by Assistant Special Prosecutor Rick Veters of the General Crimes Unit.
The acting assistant secretary of the DHS, Lauren Bis, was direct in assessing the case: “This foreign national from Australia now faces federal charges for falsely declaring herself a U.S. citizen and illegally casting votes in two elections. Our message to foreign nationals who vote in U.S. elections is clear: we will find you, arrest you, and you will face the consequences, including criminal charges and deportation. Only Americans should choose American leaders.”
The case draws attention because Migliore is not an undocumented immigrant, but rather a legal permanent resident —known in the United States as a holder of a "green card"— from Australia, an allied country. Permanent residents have the right to live and work in the country indefinitely, but the law prohibits them from participating in federal elections, a privilege reserved exclusively for citizens.
Voting illegally in federal elections is a criminal offense since the passage of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, with penalties including up to one year in prison, fines, and deportation.
This arrest adds to a series of similar federal operations initiated during the second Trump administration. In 2025, the "False Haven" operation by ICE and the Department of Justice resulted in three non-citizen arrests for illegal voting in Arkansas, including that of a 59-year-old Cuban accused of election fraud after falsely claiming to be a citizen.
That same year, HSI Miami arrested a Cuban accused of electoral fraud in Florida, along with another foreign citizen from the Turks and Caicos Islands.
The case of Migliore arises as Congress debates the so-called Save America Act, which aims to require proof of citizenship to register as a federal voter—a measure that its proponents present as a direct response to such situations.
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