Unwanted ballots worry Korean green card holders amid US voting crackdown

Korean green card holders in Seattle and other communities are concerned that unsolicited election mail could create immigration problems as the Trump administration pursues cases against noncitizens accused of voting illegally ahead of Tuesday’s midterm elections. Online posts describe permanent residents receiving ballots or voter-registration materials they did not request. Federal prosecutors allege that a Korean woman in San Diego falsely claimed U.S. citizenship to register and vote. Receiving election mail alone is not a voting offense, but knowingly claiming citizenship or voting illegally can have serious immigration consequences.

On Oct. 19, the Justice Department announced charges against 28 permanent residents in California for offenses including fraudulent voter registration, unlawful voting and false statements during naturalization proceedings.

Prosecutors allege that Jennifer Jung, a 31-year-old Korean woman with Canadian citizenship living in San Diego, falsely claimed U.S. citizenship when registering, voted in November 2024 and later made false statements about her voting history during a naturalization interview.

California automatically registers eligible applicants during Department of Motor Vehicles transactions unless they opt out; state officials say applicants who indicate they are ineligible are not registered through the system.

California has acknowledged cases of erroneous voter registration, and people registered by mistake can cancel their registration through their county elections office.

The immigration consequences depend on how a person was registered, whether a ballot was cast and whether a false claim of citizenship was made; cancellation does not necessarily eliminate consequences from past violations.

Published Nov 3, 2026 2:25 am KST

Mail-in ballots are processed leading up to the midterm elections at a USPS sorting facility in Golden, Colorado, on Oct. 28. Reuters-Yonhap

SEATTLE — With the Trump administration stepping up its crackdown on noncitizen voting ahead of Tuesday's midterm elections, some Korean green card holders are worried that receiving election ballots they never requested could land them in immigration trouble.

Across online forums and social media discussions, including Korean-American communities, green card holders have shared accounts of receiving ballots or voter-registration materials despite not being U.S. citizens.

"I'm a green card holder, but ballots come to my house every time," one user wrote.

Another said she and her husband, both green card holders, had received jury summonses, and that her husband had also received election-related mail.

The accounts have prompted discussions about how noncitizens end up receiving election materials and whether mistakes involving voter registration could jeopardize their green cards or future citizenship applications.

Some users expressed concern that they may have been registered without realizing it, while others questioned how permanent residents could be unaware that only U.S. citizens are allowed to vote.

The concerns come as federal authorities pursue criminal cases against green card holders accused of voting illegally.

Among them was Jennifer Jung, a 31-year-old Korean woman with Canadian citizenship living in San Diego, according to Korean-language broadcaster Radio Korea.

Federal prosecutors allege that Jung falsely claimed to be a U.S. citizen when registering to vote, cast a ballot in the November 2024 election and later made false statements about her voting history during a naturalization interview.

The cases have also raised questions about California's voter registration system, which automatically registers eligible applicants during Department of Motor Vehicles transactions unless they opt out.

State officials say applicants who indicate they are ineligible are not registered through the system. However, California has previously acknowledged cases of people being registered erroneously.

Receiving election-related mail does not necessarily mean someone is registered to vote, and simply receiving a ballot is not a voting offense. But knowingly making a false claim of U.S. citizenship or voting illegally can have serious immigration consequences.

The consequences depend on the circumstances, including how the person became registered, whether a ballot was cast and whether any false claim of citizenship was made.

California allows people who were registered by mistake to cancel their registration through their county elections office, although cancellation does not necessarily eliminate potential immigration consequences from past violations.

西雅图和其他地区的韩裔绿卡持有者担心，未经请求的选举邮件可能会引发移民问题。此前，特朗普政府正在对被控在周二中期选举前非法投票的非公民提起诉讼。网上有帖子描述了永久居民收到他们并未申请的选票或选民登记材料的情况。联邦检察官指控圣地亚哥一名韩裔女子谎称自己是美国公民，以此进行选民登记和投票。单独接收选举邮件本身并不构成投票违法行为，但明知故犯地谎称自己是美国公民或非法投票，则可能导致严重的移民后果。

10 月 19 日，司法部宣布对加利福尼亚州的 28 名永久居民提起诉讼，指控他们犯有欺诈性选民登记、非法投票和在入籍程序中作虚假陈述等罪行。

检方指控，居住在圣地亚哥的31岁韩国籍加拿大公民詹妮弗·郑在登记时谎称自己是美国公民，于2024年11月投票，并在入籍面试中就其投票历史作出虚假陈述。

加州会在车辆管理局办理业务时自动为符合条件的申请人进行登记，除非他们选择退出；州政府官员表示，表示自己不符合条件的申请人不会通过该系统进行登记。

加州已承认出现选民登记错误的情况，错误登记的人可以通过所在县的选举办公室取消登记。

移民后果取决于一个人的登记方式、是否投票以及是否虚假声称拥有公民身份；取消公民身份并不一定能消除过去违规行为的后果。

发布于2026年11月3日凌晨2:25（韩国标准时间）

10月28日，在科罗拉多州戈尔登市的美国邮政服务分拣中心，邮寄选票正在处理中期选举前的邮件。（路透社-韩联社）

西雅图——随着特朗普政府在周二的中期选举前加大力度打击非公民投票，一些韩国绿卡持有者担心，收到他们从未申请过的选票可能会让他们陷入移民困境。

在包括韩裔美国人社区在内的在线论坛和社交媒体讨论中，一些绿卡持有者分享了他们收到选票或选民登记材料的经历，尽管他们并非美国公民。

一位用户写道：“我持有绿卡，但每次选举都会把选票送到我家。”

另一位女士表示，她和她的丈夫都是绿卡持有者，都收到了陪审团传票，而且她的丈夫还收到了与选举相关的邮件。

这些报道引发了关于非公民如何收到选举材料以及选民登记错误是否会危及他们的绿卡或未来入籍申请的讨论。

一些用户表示担心自己可能在不知情的情况下被注册了，而另一些用户则质疑永久居民怎么会不知道只有美国公民才有投票权。

联邦当局正在对被控非法投票的绿卡持有者提起刑事诉讼，引发了这些担忧。

据韩国广播电台报道，其中一人是 31 岁的韩国女子 Jennifer Jung，她拥有加拿大国籍，居住在圣地亚哥。

联邦检察官指控郑某在登记投票时谎称自己是美国公民，在 2024 年 11 月的选举中投了票，后来在入籍面试中就其投票历史作出了虚假陈述。

这些案件也引发了人们对加州选民登记制度的质疑，该制度会在车辆管理局办理业务时自动登记符合条件的申请人，除非他们选择退出。

州政府官员表示，那些表明自己不符合资格的申请人不会被系统登记。然而，加州此前也承认出现过一些人被错误登记的情况。

收到与选举相关的邮件并不一定意味着某人已登记投票，仅仅收到选票本身并不构成投票违法行为。但是，故意谎称自己是美国公民或非法投票，可能会导致严重的移民后果。

后果取决于具体情况，包括该人是如何登记的、是否投了票以及是否提出了任何虚假的公民身份声明。

加州允许因错误登记而登记的人通过其所在县的选举办公室取消登记，但取消登记并不一定能消除过去违规行为可能带来的移民后果。