Federal authorities arrested 11 foreign nationals across California on Monday as part of a statewide election fraud investigation, announcing charges against 28 noncitizens for allegedly registering to vote illegally, casting ballots, or making false statements on naturalization applications.
The arrests were part of “Operation Protect the Vote,” a coordinated effort involving all four U.S. attorney’s offices in California.
In a press briefing, acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter said, “At least eight of these defendants allegedly voted more than once illegally. Including some in the 2026 primary.”
The charges come just days after the Department of Justice sued California over its refusal to comply with a federal demand to review suspected noncitizen voters and set aside their ballots pending citizenship verification.
“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,” McCotter, said.
“Today’s arrests prove what we have been saying,” First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli in a press release.
“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,” he said.
With California’s Nov. 3 general election approaching, the allegations have intensified the dispute between federal prosecutors and state officials over voter eligibility and election safeguards.
“Elections belong to American citizens, even if one non-citizen votes in an election, that is a violation of the constitutional rights of every voter in California who has a legal right to have their vote be counted equally and not diluted by non-citizens,” Essayli said.
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[ H/T The Daily Signal ]
