A Bahamian national living in the Atlanta area for decades was arrested in Decatur, Georgia, this month after federal investigators determined he illegally voted in the 2020 election, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Anthony Tyrone Higgs was taken into custody by Homeland Security Investigations’ Atlanta office on September 3 and is now in the custody of ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations division, which handles deportation cases. Higgs had been a lawful permanent resident, or Green Card holder, since October 1976, when he was admitted to the United States.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said Higgs has a criminal history that includes armed robbery, domestic violence and assault on a police officer.
“This criminal alien from the Bahamas has a rap sheet for multiple violent crimes, including armed robbery, domestic violence, and assault on a police officer,” Mullin said. “On top of all of that, he illegally voted in the 2020 election.”
His record also includes charges of resisting arrest, two counts of grand larceny and two counts of possession of a weapon during commission of a violent crime, DHS said.
Because of that history, the Trump administration has moved to revoke his immigration status. Mullin said just one noncitizen’s vote is enough to cancel out the ballot of an American citizen.
“Thanks to the hard work of the men and women of ICE, this criminal will be removed from our country and can never interfere in our elections again,” Mullin said.
White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis told Fox News Digital the case reflects the administration’s broader position on noncitizen voting.
“This alien was a guest in our country who forfeited his right to be in the U.S. when he committed these violent crimes and voted in the 2020 election,” Bis said. “Any non-citizens who vote illegally in our elections will be arrested and removed. American elections are only for Americans.”
Part of a wider crackdown
The Decatur arrest is one of several recent cases DHS has cited as part of a nationwide push against illegal voting by noncitizens.
- In August, Colombian national Carlos Jaramillo-Grajales was sentenced to three years in prison after pleading guilty to identity theft used to illegally vote in elections for more than 20 years, following an ICE investigation in Florida.
- A Slovakian national was found to have illegally voted in New Jersey during the 2022 midterms, according to HSI.
- An Australian national is accused of illegally casting ballots in both 2022 and 2024 in Louisiana.
- Mauritanian national Mahady Sacko was charged with voter fraud in Philadelphia after allegedly voting illegally multiple times dating back to 2008, despite being under a removal order that an immigration board upheld as of 2002.
U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida Gregory Kehoe, commenting on the Jaramillo-Grajales case in August, said federal immigration laws exist to protect the integrity of elections.
“Federal immigration laws serve to safeguard our nation’s borders and protect the integrity of our government,” Kehoe said. “Those who seek to circumvent, exploit, or break these laws will be prosecuted fully.”
DHS has not said when Higgs’ removal proceedings are expected to conclude.
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