Connecticut Democrat Faces Criticism After Advocating for Immigrant’s Release Who Appeared on Voter Rolls

Connecticut Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal is under fire following the disclosure that an undocumented immigrant whose release from federal custody he publicly advocated for had been registered as a voter in the state. A Department of Homeland Security official characterized the case as demonstrating how the individual “has made a mockery of our immigration laws on several occasions for more than two decades.”

Public records obtained by the West Hartford Republican Town Committee reveal that Seyo Cecunjanin, a Montenegrin national, was registered to vote through the Connecticut Department of Motor Vehicles in 2018. The committee released the documentation on social media, sparking renewed debate over election security protocols.

According to DHS, Cecunjanin entered the country illegally in 1997 with a fraudulent Dutch passport and received a deportation order that same year. Despite remaining under that removal order for over 25 years, he departed the United States for Serbia in July 2024, returned approximately two weeks later, and was released back into the country under the Biden administration before his arrest in June.

Blumenthal and other state Democratic officials had actively pushed for Cecunjanin’s release last month, holding a press conference and publicizing their efforts. In a July 3 statement, Blumenthal praised the restaurant owner’s release, calling the ICE detention “cruel and unconscionable” and pledging to support his bid for permanent legal status.

Connecticut Secretary of the State’s Communications Director Cindy Wolfe Boynton clarified that Cecunjanin never cast a ballot. She stated he was marked inactive in January 2023 after failing to respond to a routine address verification process and remains ineligible to vote until his registration status is confirmed.

Conservative figures quickly seized on the disclosure to criticize Democratic approaches to immigration enforcement and election security. Republican lawmakers and commentators highlighted the case as evidence of lax oversight in voter registration systems.