It’s not often ICE catches migrants in Louisiana who have racked up voter fraud charges; thus, President Trump himself announced this “victory.” An Australian permanent resident living in rural Louisiana is set to face a federal jury in September after being charged with illegally voting in the 2022 and 2024 U.S. elections. Ironically enough, she was discovered to be a donor to MAGA-aligned politicians, a fact that went viral.
Denise Nataly Migliore, 51, originally from Sydney, was indicted on June 11 in the Eastern District of Louisiana on two counts of making false statements and two counts of fraudulent voting. Prosecutors allege she falsely claimed U.S. citizenship to register and cast ballots in both federal elections while holding only lawful permanent resident status. She was arrested July 1 at a federal courthouse in New Orleans following an investigation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations unit and the FBI.
The story took an unexpected turn after federal campaign finance filings surfaced showing a Denise Migliore of Franklinton, Louisiana, the same small town where the defendant resided, donated $250 through the WinRed platform to Republican congressional candidate Mayra Flores in May 2025. Flores has been endorsed by Trump. Neither DHS nor prosecutors have confirmed yet whether the donor and the defendant are the same person, and the donation was not mentioned in the government’s original announcement of the arrest.
The apparent overlap fueled discussion online, with many users noting the irony of a Trump-aligned donor becoming the highest-profile example cited in the administration’s non-citizen voting crackdown. If convicted, Migliore faces up to five years in prison. Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said the case sends a message that non-citizens who vote in American elections will face arrest, prosecution and potential deportation.
People online are mocking the voter fraud incident
Migliore has publicly denied any intent to break the law. In interviews with Louisiana media, she said she believed her long-term legal residency and pending citizenship application allowed her to vote. She also said election officials accepted her registration and did not question her eligibility when she cast her ballots. “I just didn’t realize that it was such a big deal,” according to Migliore.
Social media users were quick to mock Migliore’s for her supposed political alignment, with one comment joking, “Yeah. Sounds like the elevator doesn’t go all the way to the top.” The incident also brought to light Louisiana’s election integrity, seeing as a non-citizen managed to vote.
Others pointed out how voter fraud cases seem to be coming from Trump voters, “How come all the voter fraud I hear about are trumplicans voting for trump,” with another commenter sharing a similar sentiment, “Whenever I read about election fraud, it is always a Republican committing the act, and the reason given is some form of they were combatting election fraud.”
