By The Epoch Times | Created at 2026-10-19 22:21:34 | Updated at 2026-10-19 22:55:37
37 minutes ago
The Justice Department announced on Oct. 19 that 28 noncitizens living in California face election-related criminal charges, alleging that they fraudulently registered to vote and that most cast ballots in U.S. elections.
Federal authorities arrested 11 of the 28 defendants on Monday as part of “Operation Protect the Vote,” a coordinated effort involving all four U.S. attorney’s offices in California.
All 28 defendants are lawful permanent residents, also known as green card holders, according to the DOJ.
Although green card holders have legal immigration status in the United States, they are not citizens and are not permitted to vote in U.S. elections, the DOJ said.
Federal prosecutors allege that the defendants in California falsely claimed U.S. citizenship to register to vote.
Many subsequently cast ballots and later made false statements about their citizenship claims or voting history when seeking naturalization, the department said.
The charges vary by defendant and include fraudulent voter registration, false statements related to naturalization, and voting by a noncitizen in a federal election.
The felony charges carry maximum prison terms of five years.
Six defendants in California’s Eastern District face misdemeanor voting charges carrying a maximum sentence of one year.
The cases involve 13 defendants in the Central District, six in the Eastern District, five in the Northern District and four in the Southern District.
Efforts to reach the attorneys of the defendants were not immediately successful.
The California Attorney General’s office responded, saying AG Rob Bonta has repeatedly said any allegation of voter fraud should be taken seriously and investigated.
“The 28 individuals charged this morning represent a tiny fraction—approximately 0.0001 percent—of California’s more than 23 million registered voters. That’s not evidence of widespread voter fraud, even if the allegations are true,” the AG’s office said in an email to The Epoch Times.
“We have safeguards in place to protect election integrity, and they’re working. Isolated cases of alleged voter fraud occur in red and blue states alike, and they should be prosecuted wherever they occur.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office posted a video in which the Trump administration stated they’ve charged 113 people across 20 different states in the last seven weeks with illegal voting or illegal registration.
“The Trump admin completely upends their ‘widespread voter fraud’ claims by admitting they have only charged 113 people across 20 states,” Newsom’s press office posted on X on Monday.
The announcement follows a federal lawsuit challenging California’s handling of voter registrations flagged by federal authorities as potentially belonging to noncitizens.
The Justice Department said it provided California with more than 20,000 names of suspected noncitizens on Oct. 13 and asked the state to set aside their mail ballots pending confirmation of their citizenship status.
California declined to do so, according to the DOJ.
‘This is a sad, desperate attempt by Trump to use his politicized Justice Department to try to suppress California voters just three weeks before Election Day,” Newsom posted on X on Oct. 15.
“Courts have made clear the federal government has no role in running state elections. We will defend free and fair elections in the Golden State and call out every authoritarian attempt to undermine our democracy.”
Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter said all 28 defendants appeared on the list of more than 20,000 “likely noncitizen registrants” provided to California election officials the previous week.
“Today’s arrests prove what we have been saying,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli.
“California is mailing ballots to noncitizens, and they are refusing to comply with federal law, which makes it a crime for noncitizens to vote. The voting rights of American citizens must be protected.”
