11 foreign nationals arrested in California for alleged illegal voting and voter registration

LOS ANGELES - Federal authorities have charged 28 foreign nationals in California—arresting at least 11—in a sweeping operation targeting alleged noncitizen voting and fraudulent voter registration.

The crackdown, dubbed "Operation Protect the Vote," arrives just two weeks before Election Day and has ignited a sharp debate between federal prosecutors and California Democratic leaders over election security and voter intimidation.

"Operation Protect the Vote" directs arrests across California

What we know:

Federal law enforcement officers executed arrest warrants across California on Monday, taking 11 foreign nationals living in the United States into custody. The criminal complaints charge a total of 28 individuals with federal crimes, alleging they fraudulently registered to vote in US elections, with most casting illegal and fraudulently obtained ballots.

According to court documents, all 28 defendants are Lawful Permanent Residents (LPRs), commonly known as green card holders. While green card holders have legal immigration status to live and work in the US, federal law strictly prohibits noncitizens from registering or voting in federal elections.

Investigators allege the defendants knowingly lied under oath on voter registration forms by identifying themselves as US citizens. Once approved, many went on to vote in recent elections. Prosecutors say the defendants later lied on their naturalization applications by denying they had ever registered or voted. Both charges—making false statements in a naturalization application and fraudulent voter registration—are felonies carrying a sentence of up to five years in federal prison.

"We don’t care who you vote for," said U.S. Attorney Craig Missakian. "What we care about is making sure that every legitimate vote is counted."

Federal lawsuit & escalating tension 

What they're saying:

The charges stem from a larger dispute between federal authorities and the State of California over voter rolls.

On October 13, the Justice Department provided California election officials with a list of over 20,000 voter registrations identified as likely noncitizens, requesting that state authorities set aside their vote-by-mail ballots until citizenship status could be verified. After state officials declined, federal prosecutors filed a lawsuit asking a federal judge to order the ballots held.

Federal officials pointed to Monday's arrests as validation for their legal challenge.

"Every illegal vote cancels out the vote of a lawful American citizen," said Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter. "Each of the 28 defendants charged today appears on the list of more than 20,000 likely noncitizen registrants we provided to California election officials last week. California refused to look at that list. Today's charges show exactly what that refusal puts at risk. California must verify the citizenship of those more than 20,000 registrants before mail-in ballots are counted."

First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli added: "Today’s arrests prove what we have been saying. California is mailing ballots to noncitizens, and they are refusing to comply with federal law, which makes it a crime for noncitizens to vote."

However, in a significant admission during Monday's press briefing, the Department of Justice acknowledged that its list of flagged voters is not definitive.

"There may be some names on there who, it turns out ultimately are citizens. We’re not perfect," McCotter admitted.

The other side:

California democratic leaders reacted swiftly to the arrests, arguing that the federal crackdown is political rhetoric designed to suppress voter turnout.

California Assemblymember Mark González condemned the operation in a statement saying, "The rhetoric that thousands of fake voters are swaying Californians’ elections is nothing short of a lie — a lie to scare off Latino voters and weaponize democracy weeks before the election."

California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office also pushed back against the charges, emphasizing that the 28 individuals charged represent a tiny fraction of California’s 23 million registered voters. Bonta’s office reiterated that there is "no evidence" of widespread voter fraud in California, even if the individual federal allegations prove true in court.

Meanwhile, the Department of Justice's request asking a federal judge to halt and set aside ballots linked to the list of flagged voters remains pending in federal court, with no order granted as of Monday.

Dig deeper:

The charges come as California voters prepare to decide on Proposition 39, a statewide ballot initiative that would mandate voter identification and additional citizenship verification checks.

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