By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
Federal authorities announced charges against 28 noncitizens in California on Monday, Oct. 19, as part of a coordinated investigation into alleged illegal voter registrations, fraudulent citizenship claims and ballots cast in previous federal elections.
The arrests, conducted under an enforcement initiative called Operation Protect the Vote, come two weeks before the Nov. 3 midterm elections and follow a Justice Department lawsuit alleging that more than 20,000 potentially ineligible voters remain registered in California.
According to The New York Post, federal investigators targeted foreign nationals accused of falsely claiming U.S. citizenship to register or vote in federal elections.
The defendants are lawful permanent residents who allegedly submitted fraudulent registration documents, cast ballots or made false statements during the naturalization process. The charges involve individual alleged offenses; authorities have not established that the defendants operated as a coordinated criminal organization.
One defendant, Alexander Muñoz, a citizen of Belize, is accused of registering to vote in 2019 despite lacking American citizenship.
Investigators allege that Muñoz subsequently participated in the 2020, 2022 and 2024 elections and voted twice during the 2022 election cycle.
Federal prosecutors also contend that he falsely answered questions on his application for naturalized citizenship, denying that he had previously claimed to be a U.S. citizen.
Muñoz faces felony charges involving alleged false statements in a naturalization application and other election-related offenses. The allegations have not been established through a conviction.
Los Angeles federal prosecutor Bill Essayli said the arrests confirmed concerns previously raised by the Trump administration.
“Today’s arrests confirm what we suspected and what we put California on notice for: Noncitizens are voting in California elections which is unconstitutional and illegal,” Essayli said.
The Associated Press reported Monday that the Justice Department has charged more than 113 individuals nationwide this year in cases involving alleged noncitizen voting. The California arrests are part of a broader federal effort targeting registration fraud and unlawful participation in federal elections.
The operation follows an escalating dispute between federal authorities and California Secretary of State Shirley Weber over the accuracy of the state’s voter rolls.
On Oct. 13, acting Deputy Attorney General R. Trent McCotter sent letters to Weber and Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder Dean Logan demanding an expedited review of individuals the federal government believes may not be American citizens.
The Justice Department supplied Los Angeles County officials with a password-protected thumb drive containing names of potentially ineligible voters and requested that their citizenship status be verified within 48 hours.
The letter cited an earlier July 16 warning from Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin concerning possible noncitizen registrations.
McCotter instructed officials to preserve ballots from individuals whose eligibility could not immediately be established rather than cancel them outright.
“For individuals whom you cannot independently confirm citizenship status, we request that you immediately instruct the appropriate elections office to segregate — not cancel — those individuals’ vote-by-mail ballots until their citizenship status can be determined,” the letter stated.
Federal officials also requested that ballots not yet mailed to individuals identified on the list be withheld until their citizenship could be verified.
The Justice Department argued that the state and federal governments share responsibility for preventing unlawful voting.
“States are responsible for voter registration, and the Federal Government is responsible for maintaining immigration records to enable verification of citizenship,” the letter stated. “Working together, we can more effectively protect against voter dilution and promote election integrity.”
The administration warned that federal court intervention would follow if California officials failed to cooperate.
That legal action began Oct. 15, when the Justice Department filed a lawsuit alleging that more than 20,000 individuals identified as likely noncitizens were registered to vote.
The lawsuit seeks to prevent California from counting ballots associated with those registrations until citizenship eligibility is independently verified.
Federal officials say investigators used voter registration records and immigration-related information to identify potential inconsistencies.
However, the designation of an individual as a likely noncitizen does not establish that the person is ineligible to vote. Citizenship databases can contain outdated or incomplete information, particularly concerning individuals who subsequently become naturalized citizens.
California officials have challenged both the reliability of the federal allegations and the Justice Department’s authority to demand changes to election procedures immediately before voting.
Weber accused the administration of attempting to interfere with state election operations.
“The U.S. DOJ’s relentless efforts to unlawfully gain access to states’ protected voter data and purge voter rolls serve only to cause chaos and fuel public distrust in our elections,” Weber said.
She maintained that California already has safeguards restricting registration and voting to eligible American citizens.
“California has robust state law requirements that only U.S. citizens can register to vote and that any non-eligible registrants are removed from the State’s voter rolls,” Weber said.
“My office and California election officials remain committed — as always — to ensuring a fair and smooth 2026 General Election.”
The dispute has also raised legal questions about the timing of federal demands.
Federal election law generally restricts systematic voter removal programs within 90 days of a federal election, although individual eligibility investigations and prosecutions remain subject to separate rules.
Voting-rights advocates have warned that improperly flagging naturalized citizens could prevent eligible voters from participating.
The administration maintains that its actions are intended to protect lawful votes from being diluted by ballots cast by ineligible individuals.
Noncitizens are prohibited from voting in federal elections, regardless of whether they are lawful permanent residents or lack legal immigration status. Federal law also prohibits knowingly making false citizenship claims in connection with voter registration.
The California investigation illustrates that individual cases of alleged illegal voting can result in criminal charges, but the arrests do not independently establish widespread fraud across the state’s electorate.
Previous election reviews have generally found noncitizen voting to be uncommon, although the extent of unlawful registration remains disputed between federal and California authorities.
Public support for voter identification and citizenship verification requirements has also remained a prominent subject of national polling.
A recent survey cited by Breitbart News reported broad support for requiring valid photo identification and proof of citizenship before voting.
As Election Day approaches, the Justice Department is pursuing criminal cases against individuals accused of illegal voting while simultaneously seeking court intervention in California’s voter registration procedures.
The defendants remain presumed innocent unless convicted, and the outcome of the federal lawsuit will determine whether California must take additional steps regarding ballots associated with disputed registrations.
With early voting underway and the November 3 election approaching, the competing legal actions place voter eligibility verification and state election authority at the center of a closely watched federal-state confrontation.
Original article
Comments