DOJ Charges 28 Noncitizens in CA

PHOTO CAPTION: The Robert F. Kennedy Department of Justice Building in Washington, D.C. The DOJ announced charges against 28 noncitizens in California for alleged election-related offenses, with 11 arrests made on October 19, 2026. (Photo: Sdkb / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)

Federal authorities have charged 28 noncitizens in California with election-related crimes and arrested 11 of them in a statewide crackdown announced Monday, October 19, just two weeks before the midterm elections.
The Justice Department said the defendants are all lawful permanent residents, commonly known as green card holders, who allegedly registered to vote despite not being U.S. citizens.
Federal prosecutors allege that 21 of the 28 defendants also cast ballots, with some voting in multiple elections.
The charges include unlawful voting, fraudulent voter registration and making false statements on applications for U.S. citizenship.
The operation, called Operation Protect the Vote, involved all four federal judicial districts in California and multiple federal law enforcement agencies.
Federal Agents Conduct Arrests Across California
The Justice Department announced that 11 defendants were arrested Monday, with authorities expecting additional arrests.
In Commerce, California, federal agents arrested 72-year-old Omar Alexander Muñoz, a Belizean national who prosecutors allege registered to vote in 2019 by falsely claiming U.S. citizenship.
According to the Justice Department, Muñoz subsequently voted in the 2020, 2022 and 2024 elections and made false statements concerning his voting history on a naturalization application.
Associated Press photographs show federal officers escorting a suspect during Monday's operation.
Other defendants were charged in Los Angeles, Sacramento, Fresno, San Diego and additional communities throughout the state.
The alleged violations span multiple election cycles. The cases do not establish that 21 unlawful ballots were cast in a single election.
Some Defendants Face Up to Five Years in Prison
Federal prosecutors say certain defendants face felony charges for making false statements about citizenship or voting history.
Some of those offenses carry maximum penalties of five years in federal prison.
Others face misdemeanor charges involving voting by noncitizens in federal elections, which can carry maximum penalties of one year.
Although all 28 defendants are legally authorized to live in the United States as permanent residents, that status does not grant the right to vote in federal elections.
The Justice Department alleges that defendants knowingly misrepresented their citizenship status when registering to vote or applying for naturalization.
The allegations have not been proven in court.
DOJ Also Targets 20,000 California Voter Registrations
Monday's announcement comes amid a separate legal dispute between the Trump administration and California officials involving approximately 20,000 registered voters.
The Justice Department says federal records identified those individuals as likely noncitizens and has demanded that California set aside their ballots until their eligibility can be verified.
Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter said all 28 people charged Monday appeared on that larger list.
California officials declined the federal government's demand, questioning the reliability of its information and whether it provided sufficient evidence to justify restricting ballots.
The Justice Department subsequently filed a lawsuit seeking federal court intervention before the November 3 election.
The larger list remains disputed. The 28 criminal cases do not establish that all 20,000 identified registrants are ineligible voters.
California Officials Dispute Claims of Widespread Fraud
California Attorney General Rob Bonta responded Monday that individual cases of unlawful voting do not establish widespread election fraud.
Bonta said the administration had failed to provide sufficient evidence supporting its broader allegations about California's voter rolls.
Federal officials argue that illegal voting must be investigated regardless of how frequently it occurs, particularly in elections decided by narrow margins.
California officials and voting rights advocates maintain that sweeping actions based on unverified records could also affect eligible voters.
Independent research has generally found noncitizen voting to be rare, and the newly announced charges do not establish that unlawful voting changed any election outcome.
Investigation Continues Ahead of Midterms
The Justice Department says Operation Protect the Vote will continue through the November 3 midterm elections and beyond.
Officials have also announced additional election-related criminal cases in other states in recent weeks.
The California operation marks one of the administration's most visible election enforcement actions this year, involving coordinated federal arrests and criminal charges across the state.
The 28 defendants remain presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Meanwhile, federal courts are being asked to resolve the separate dispute over California's approximately 20,000 flagged voter registrations before Election Day.