The Department of Homeland Security is using the case of a Colombian national who allegedly cast a ballot in the 2024 presidential election in Massachusetts to advertise how it has updated a program meant to stop voter fraud.

“Illegal aliens have exploited outdated systems to defraud Americans & taint our elections,” the department wrote in an X post on Friday. “DHS is revamping the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) program to ensure government officials can swiftly verify statuses, stopping entitlements and voter fraud.”

Lina Maria Orovio-Hernandez, 59, is accused of receiving more than $400,000 in stolen federal benefits and obtaining a Massachusetts Real ID and eight other state IDs while she lived in the Bay State for over 20 years under a stolen identity.

The woman allegedly used the stolen identity to submit a fraudulent voter registration in January 2023 and cast a fraudulent ballot in last year’s presidential election, according to the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Earlier this spring, DHS overhauled the SAVE program in partnership with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Department of Government Efficiency, and the Social Security Administration, to prevent non-citizens from exploiting taxpayer benefits and voting illegally.

The feds tout SAVE as a “critical tool for verifying lawful U.S. citizenship and immigration status … to help ensure the eligibility of individuals applying for certain public benefits and licenses.”

Local and state authorities can input Social Security numbers rather than a DHS identifying number, which most agencies do not collect, to verify citizenship or immigration status. Agencies are also allowed to submit more than one case at a time, “making the process more efficient,” according to the feds.

“For years, states have pleaded for tools to help identify and stop aliens from hijacking our elections,” USCIS Spokesman Matthew Tragesser said in a statement. “Under the leadership of President Trump and Secretary Noem, USCIS is moving quickly to eliminate voter fraud. We expect further improvements soon and remain committed to restoring trust in American elections.”

In addition to allegedly voting in last year’s election, Orovio-Hernandez is accused of improperly receiving $259,589 in Section 8 rental assistance benefits from October 2011 through January 2025; $101,257 in Social Security disability benefits from July 2014 through January 2025; and $43,348 in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits from April 2005 through January 2025.

In a statement, Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Leah Foley called Orovio-Hernandez’s alleged crimes an “affront to every individual who plays by the rules and undermines many of the programs meant to support the most vulnerable members of our society.”

“The right to vote is one of the many privileges of being a U.S. citizen,” Foley stated. “Government funded programs for those in need are intended to be safety nets for those living in our country lawfully – not support an illegal alien without a right to be here.”

“Ms. Orovio-Hernandez was entitled to none of these privileges as a Colombian citizen who was unlawfully in this country,” she added.

Orovio-Hernandez has been charged in a superseding indictment with one count of false representation of a Social Security number; one count of making a false statement in an application for a United States passport; one count of aggravated identity theft; three counts of receiving stolen government money or property; one count of fraudulent voter registration; and one count of fraudulent voting.

Orovio-Hernandez was previously charged in an indictment in February, and she has since remained in federal custody.

“Stealing someone’s identity to unlawfully obtain Social Security benefits is not just theft—it’s a long-term abuse of a system meant to support those truly in need,” said Amy Connelly, special agent in charge of the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General, Boston-New York Field Division.