Arkansas AG Nabs Noncitizens from Nigeria, Cuba, Kazakhstan Accused of Voting in 2024

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin announced the arrests of three noncitizens accused of illegally voting in Arkansas elections this week.

“Investigators in my office have arrested three noncitizens for illegally voting in our elections despite not having the status to do so,” Griffin said at a news conference, according to KATV.

He added, “Arkansas’s elections are sound and secure, which is why we deal swiftly and decisively when rare infractions like these come to our attention. I am committed to preserving the integrity of our democratic process.”

The case began when federal officials notified Arkansas of voting records that did not match citizenship status.

Homeland Security Investigations and the Department of Homeland Security jumped in and assisted in the probe.

That investigation led to the arrests.

The first, 59-year-old Cecilia Castellanos of Rogers, is a Cuban national. She was charged with perjury and a Class D felony for illegally voting.

She has had a removal order for 26 years and three prior felony convictions in New York. On her voter registration form, she falsely claimed to be a U.S. citizen and denied she had any prior felony convictions.

Castellanos illegally voted in the 2024 general election, according to Griffin’s office.

The second illegally voting foreign national busted was 50-year-old Zlata Risley of Hot Springs Village. A native of Kazakhstan, she is a lawful permanent resident, but not a citizen and not allowed to vote.

Risley was charged with a Class D felony for violating Arkansas election laws.

The third, 59-year-old Chi Baum of Texarkana, is a Nigerian native. She is a conditional permanent resident but not a U.S. citizen.

Baum was charged with perjury and violating election laws after voting in the 2024 general election.

Her perjury charge stems from falsely marking U.S. citizenship on her voter registration form, per Griffin’s office.

Now here’s the part Democrats and their media allies don’t want to hear: We’ve been told for years that noncitizens don’t and can’t vote in our elections.

They’ve repeated it endlessly, as if saying it makes it true.

But here we are with three noncitizens caught red-handed voting in a single state, and these are just the ones caught.

Illegals and noncitizens are participating in our elections. The claim that it’s illegal, so it never happens, is absurd.

If that logic worked, there would be no murder, no theft, and no crime at all.

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