Federal agents arrested an illegal alien from Mexico after she was accused of falsely claiming American citizenship and voting in Pennsylvania’s 2024 election. Footage of the arrest shows agents confronting 30-year-old Katya Rodriguez at a Harrisburg residence and informing her that they have a warrant. Rodriguez was indicted by a federal grand jury on three election-related charges.
The video was released as the Trump administration continues a federal crackdown on noncitizens accused of registering or voting in American elections. Homeland Security Investigations, an agency within the Department of Homeland Security, investigated Rodriguez’s case. The Justice Department announced the charges on September 4th as part of a group of cases spanning Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Wisconsin.
“Hey, how you doing? Katya here?” an agent asks after arriving at the door. When Rodriguez appears, the agent asks, “Do you remember me? I talked to you a while back.” Rodriguez says she is unsure, prompting the agent to tell her, “Can you step out here? I have a warrant for your arrest.” Rodriguez immediately asks why she is being arrested. “We’ll explain it all,” the agent responds before Rodriguez again demands to know what the warrant is for. The agent answers, “Voting. You’re gonna have to step out here. I gotta come with you.”
Footage obtained by Fox News Digital shows Rodriguez asking whether she can change clothes before leaving with the officers. One agent tells her not to go back inside and says someone will have to accompany her while she changes. “I’m so sorry. I’m Katya, by the way,” Rodriguez says during the unusually calm exchange.
Rodriguez explains that she’s not appropriately dressed to leave with the agents. “Is it okay if I change? I’m literally, like, wearing no bra or anything,” she asks. One of the agents responds, “I think that’ll be fine,” allowing her to change before they depart. The final portion of the exchange includes a reference to a silver Jeep outside.
Watch the arrest here:
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According to the Justice Department], Rodriguez is an illegal alien from Mexico who was living in Harrisburg when she allegedly voted in the 2024 election. Prosecutors charged her with making a false statement of citizenship in order to vote, fraudulent registration, and voting as an alien. The department did not identify the specific 2024 election in which Rodriguez allegedly voted or disclose which candidates appeared on her ballot.
Rodriguez faces a maximum sentence of 11 years in prison if convicted on the federal charges, along with supervised release and a possible fine. The eventual sentence would be determined by a federal judge. Assistant United States Attorney Scott Ford is prosecuting the case, which the department said falls under its nationwide Operation Take Back America initiative.
The Justice Department announced Rodriguez’s indictment alongside charges against four other people accused of election crimes in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Wisconsin. They include Marisol Guzman, an alien accused of voting in Pennsylvania in 2024, and her husband, U.S. citizen Thomas Holtzman, who was charged with aiding and abetting false claims of citizenship and fraudulent registration. Federal prosecutors also charged Mercedes Alexandra Cardoso in New Jersey and Jesus Javier Jurado Garcia in Wisconsin with voting as non-citizens.
Attorney General Todd Blanche said voting is a “cherished right” reserved for eligible American citizens and that the Justice Department has a duty to treat election fraud as a serious crime. U.S. Attorney Brian D. Miller pledged that his office would pursue people who illegally vote in federal elections, along with anyone who helps them. “Illegal voting is not a victimless crime but a serious affront to the principles of our democratic republic,” Miller said.
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video.