California sweep: Justice Department charges 2 dozen foreign nationals targeting alleged noncitizen voters
Arrests in statewide operation
Federal authorities made the arrests Monday in California under an operation called Protect the Vote. The Justice Department said those arrested are lawful permanent residents who are not eligible to vote in U.S. elections.
The charges include allegedly making false statements on naturalization applications and submitting fraudulent voter registrations. The article does not provide a precise number beyond saying more than two dozen people were arrested.
A rare issue gains focus
The Trump administration has made noncitizen voting a priority ahead of next month’s midterm elections. Available data indicates the practice is very uncommon, hard to establish, and has not been shown to change election results.
Before Monday, the Justice Department had charged about 90 people this year with different forms of election misconduct, including 50 accused of voting as noncitizens. The United States had more than 227 million registered voters during the 2024 presidential election.
Federal-state dispute intensifies
The arrests come amid a growing conflict between the federal government and California over voter rolls and ballot handling. Last week, the Justice Department sued the state to block counting mail ballots from people it described as likely noncitizens until their immigration status is checked.
The lawsuit followed a federal request that California review a password-protected drive containing 20,000 names within 48 hours. Federal officials said the people listed were likely noncitizens sent ballots for the Nov. 3 election, while California’s secretary of state said the administration had offered no evidence for that claim. California sends ballots to all registered voters.
Warning to election officials
On Friday, the Justice Department warned California election officials that knowingly processing ballots cast by noncitizens could lead to investigation. The letter, from acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter, was sent to the Los Angeles County Counsel’s office and copied to Secretary of State Shirley Weber and Registrar Dean Logan.
Logan said his office remained focused on running a fair and secure election, with Election Day 18 days away. He said the federal government had chosen to take its unverified voting-eligibility claims to court, where he believed they should be addressed.
Key points
- Federal authorities arrested more than two dozen foreign nationals in California in Operation Protect the Vote.
- The Justice Department said those arrested are lawful permanent residents, not U.S. citizens eligible to vote.
- The federal government sued California over mail ballots it says may have been sent to likely noncitizens.
- California’s secretary of state said the administration provided no evidence for its claim about 20,000 names.