Agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), part of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), arrested Osmal Sánchez Loy, a 70-year-old Cuban citizen, on October 23, accused of voting illegally in the 2024 general elections in Pennsylvania.
According to ICE, Sánchez Loy had a final deportation order issued by an immigration judge in April 2009, but he was never removed from the country. He remained in U.S. territory in the following years without adjusting his status to that of a legal permanent resident.
The investigation was conducted by the HSI office in Allentown, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania accepted the case for prosecution.
Sánchez Loy, a resident of Fountain Hill, Pennsylvania, also has criminal records: a conviction for dangerous drugs in 1987 and another for receiving stolen property in 1991.
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Nathan Abel, special agent in charge of HSI, was unequivocal: "Protecting electoral integrity remains a top priority. We will continue to work with our partners to hold accountable those who violate the law."
The arrest occurs just days before the November 3, 2026 midterm elections, and Pennsylvania is one of the most contested battleground states in the country, which amplifies the political impact of the case.
The arrest is part of a national offensive by the Trump administration against non-citizen voting that has intensified in October. The Department of Homeland Security announced this week dozens of additional arrests across the country for electoral fraud.
Among the accused are four Cubans within a group of 48 foreigners processed in five states: in addition to Sánchez Loy, there is also Cuban Alfredo Santiesteban (73 years old) in Pennsylvania, Jamie Orlando Sosa Sardina (60 years old), and Luis Manuel Pérez (72 years old) in Florida.
The United States Department of Justice noted that three of the four Cubans were legal permanent residents. However, there is a discrepancy in the case of Osmal Sánchez Loy: while the Department of Justice identifies him as a permanent resident, ICE maintains that he never obtained that status and that he had a final deportation order since April 2009.
This is a sensitive point that federal authorities have reiterated in various reports: the permanent residency card —commonly known as the "green card"— does not grant the right to vote in federal elections.
Federal law prohibits any non-citizen from participating in presidential elections or Congress. Those who do so may face up to one year in prison. If they also falsely declared themselves to be a citizen to register, the penalty can reach up to five years.
Beyond criminal penalties, illegal voting can lead to deportation and permanent inadmissibility, even for those who have residency.
The case of Sánchez Loy also illustrates the structural problem faced by Cubans with deportation orders, as Cuba has historically refused to readmit them, leaving thousands in a migratory limbo for years.
The Trump administration resumed the enforcement of those old orders in 2025 and 2026, in some cases deporting Cubans to third countries when Havana refuses to accept them.
All accusations against Sánchez Loy are allegations; he is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
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